No-cook foods - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

My husband and I have decided to ditch the stove and cook set for our hike this summer. We already have some ideas about foods to take along. We just wanted to hear some food ideas from other stove-less hikers. Thanks for the help.

Budder Ball

#2

Hey Anne! It’s Laura! I need to get in touch with you about that possible ride to Baxter but… i’ll email you later… anyway on to the food! well… I’m not a stoveless hiker, but I do like the ease of not having to cook all the time. One of my favorite no cook meals is a plain bagel with easy cheese on it (they make several kinds… i like the plain american, but the pizza cheese is alright too) and some slim jims or jerky. It can be heavy to go the stoveless route, so i’ve heard, but if you have the option of resuppling on a regular basis (no more than 4 or 5 days between) then it’s really not too bad. Another good one is tortillas with pb and honey- sprinkle on some loose granola or some rasins and it’s even better! Also… fresh tomatoes are great and will keep for a few days… just kinda hard to find somewhere in the pack where they won’t be squished!:lol

LarsyParsy

#3

Also planning to hike without the stove this year. Will be watching this post for new and tried ideas. Here are some things that come to mind: Most kinds of cheese until the days get too hot, any kind of nuts, summer sausages, good old peanutbutter, cereals with dry milk (just add water), breads, dried fruits, oatmeals, candies (snickers work until it gets real hot), Carnation’s flavored dinks can be mixed cold, foil wrapped tuna, pop tarts, power bars, instant puddings.

Tin Cup

#4

I would sometimes eat oatmeal out the bag and chase it with water.

Virginian

#5

I would sometimes eat oatmeal out the bag and chase it with water. You can pack cheese and candy bars close to your water and they dont melt as fast that way.

Virginian

#6

Hey. Have you tried the no-cook bacon? It’s great. If you want you can warm it up, it only takes a minute or two.

Hikerhead

#7

Hikerhead- where do you get no-cook bacon?? My husband would probably like that.

Budder Ball

#8

If you google no stove hiking, there are a bunch of sites with suggestions and recipes. That being said, most, even ultralight sites, recommend some provision for cooking. Many ready to eats are heavier because of the water they contain. If you carry 4 days ration, you’ll have to carry that water for 4 days before it can be of use to you. But cheese, everybody carries cheese, and trail bars, jerky or some suitable alternative, nuts, are all things the folks carry anyhow. Fuel is the biggest weight in a stove reliant hike. Even alcohol, which is the lightest per ounce will add a pound for a 12 oz. bottle. Whether the weight of no-cook rations is offset by this is debatable. In the end HYOH.

And ready cooked bacon is now available under many name labels, Armor, Hormel, Dak, etc, at most chain grocery stores. If you have the time, Hormel is offering a 400 slice package for about $32 + S&H. That’s cheaper than uncooked. Google pre-cooked bacon. Never had it, and don’t know what I do about cooking preferences; I like mine crispy.

Fair skies and flat trails

Jim2

#9

We had debated the no-stove approach to hiking too. But we came to the conclusion that we would rather not bother with the prep work, the clean up of dishes and having to worry about filtering water every night after hiking. Also this way we get rid of the stove, the cookset and the fuel. In the end the weight of the food probably equals out to that weight but for us it is just easier. We have also found that most meals that you have to cook, rice dishes, ramen, pasta, etc, can be put in a ziploc with water in the evening, left overnight and then enjoyed cold in the morning. Also the ramen noodles are pretty good in the hard form, uncooked. I love taking along bagels and snagging those little packaged jams from the restaurants when we stop in for breakfast, though my husband thinks I’m crazy for carrying heavy bulky bagels. I also like to grab fruit when I am in town as it is very refreshing on the trail. I like to premix my oatmeal with powdered soy milk in a ziplock then just add water in the morning and eat it cold. Its good that way too. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions so far.

Budder Ball

#10

Budder Ball

I know Kroger and Winn Dixie has it and probably most larger grocery stores. It’s usually out in the isle, not with the reguler bacon as you would think. If I remember right, Krogers bacon somes shrink wrapped which is very pack friendly after you remove it from the cardboard box. Some come in a little plastic tray which you don’t want, it’s three times as thick as the shrink wrapped version. Buy one to see what kind of packaging is inside the box cause you can’t tell unless you open it. Don’t do what I did and think all are shrink wrapped and buy 6 of them to find out they’re in the plastic trays. The teammates at worked like it though when I took it all to work for them.
Update…I just looked at some I bought at Winn Dixie called “Ready Crisp”. It is shrink wrapped and there is a window in the bottom in the underside to see what’s inside.
Your husband will love this stuff. Just warm it up in your pot and it’s just like the real stuff, I mean what you would have at home. Enjoy!!!

Hikerhead

#11

won’t be much warming it up in the pot if they’re going stoveless:lol

i’m trying to figure up something you could make out of those little potato stick thingys… i’ll post something if i figure it out.:girl

LarsyParsy

#12

Just eat it right out of the box then. It’s all good. I’m going to go micro some right now.

Hikerhead

#13

Just got back from camping with the family this past weekend. We bought some precooked Oscar Meyer-brand bacon, but I was surprised at how uncooked it looked. I tried to fry it a bit in my little camp pot, but it didn’t do too good. No way would I eat that stuff without heating it, but maybe other brands are better-cooked than OM.

Jonna