I was looking at a list of foods to take on a backpakcing trip, and the author of the list (Carol Crocker) says that she uses the "boil and set" method. Does that mean pouring hot water into a plastic bag and letting it set? Or pouring dry food into hot water in the mug and letting it set?

--shannon

People do it different ways... Carol probably has her specific way, but boil and set can be in the pot or in the bag. Good to use a cozy regardless...

either way.

what are your favorite cozies? I have a fleece hat that I made that would seem to work well.

Also I was thinking it might make sense to use a hard sided plastic container to "set" in, instead of plastic bags. That way the food would be less likely to spill. But most people seem to use plastic bags; not sure why.

I use a fleece hat that is cut down. It works well. But I would not plan to wear it unless you want your head munched on.

I use AntiGravityGear

Reliable and fit to the containers that I use.

Roger

Edited by rogerb on 11/14/2006 17:53:25 MST.

Elizabeth, you can make your own cozys with the same stuff antigravitygear uses. Next time you are at Lowes or HomeDepot, etc.. get a small roll of Reflectix and the Reflectic aluminum tape. I also prefer a hard plastic container enclosed in a cozy if I can spare the room; got the idea from a mountaineering school packing list. Keeps all my misc "kitchen" goods safe between meals.

There are as many types of cozies as there are ways of cooking ;-)
I use an AGG Reflet. bag cozy most times. In winter I use a handcrafted pipe insulator that has a plastic shell. In summer, if it is over 90* I just use an Oriskao dish to hold my freezer bag.

Basically boil and set means either boiling water and adding to dry ingredients in a bag, or boiling water and dry food together, and once it boils, you park the pot in a pot cozy (which AGG sells many types of.)

As for wether to use bags or a hardsided container, that is a personal issue. Bag users want simplicity usually. (Ie..no cleanup)

My website is www.freezerbagcooking.com I have a lot of info on cozies on there if you are intrested!

PS: Why carry a cozy? They save a lot of fuel, as they keep your food hot while it finishes "cooking".

Edited by sarbar on 11/14/2006 17:47:02 MST.

Wow, I just looked at all the Anti Gravity Gear cozies. There's a lot. But my pot is a cheap $12 aluminum pot that is not listed. Maybe I will make one from the Reflectix stuff.

You could DIY, but if you don't want to, drop him an email. He'll do custom ones usually :-) And he might have one that fits your pot already.

I made my cozy out of a Hot/Cold bag. It's the kind of bag that you get from the grocery store to keep hot food hot and frozen food cold. I cut off the top of the bag including the handle and then cut the bag vertically in two parts. I then used duct tape on the side that was cut and put velcro strips along the top to seal it when the food bag is inside. It works great.

I made my cozy out of material from a windshield sunscreen, basically the same as Reflectix, but free. I actually won it as a door prize at the opening of an outdoor store in Japan. I had enough to make 3 more after mine for my friends. I used tape to hold all the edges together. It has a closure sort of like an envelope, you can tuck it in to keep it shut, so no mechanical fasteners/clips needed. I find that if I boil my water, dump it into the bag inside the cozy, and set it aside, by the time I've boiled water for coffee, my dinner is ready, and still screeching hot usually. A long-handled spoon of some sort is a must, unless you like having dinner substance smeared on your hand. Sarah's site and book are excellent guides to this art, check them out for many, many ideas.

I use the same type of cozy. The windshield sunscreen is made of a thin layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of mylar. I line my cozy with aluminum foil tape. The tape protects the delicate mylar as well as retains and reflects heat better. This setup works better in cooler conditions but weighs slightly more.

Hi Elizabeth,

I use an Aquatherm and a 32 oz wide-mouth Nalgene for rehydrating my meals with boiling water. Then I pour/scoop our food into bowls to eat. I know it isn't exactly ultralight but I don't like the way plastic bags (Glad and Ziploc) react with the boiling water. There are also 3 of us sharing the said system and meal so it is more practical for me this way.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the Aquatherm is made by Granite Gear and has been a great product for us.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/04/2006 06:13:04 MST.

Laurie, That is a great idea using a nalgene to reconstitute food. I don't like eating out of a bag.
Previously I carried two pots, but the Nalgene loop top round bottle (32oz) is lighter than even the 0.9L Evernew Titanium pot, closes more securely while "cooking", and can be pressed into service to carry water during the hike unlike the titanium pot. My BPL long Ti spoon can reach the bottom.. Finally, a reason to buy the big nalgene! I'l make a cozy with reflectix. Excellent..

I like it too - because I can give it a good shake and that helps quite a bit. I find it holds the heat better and with the addition of a "cozy" it is still eating temp after 20 minutes or more. If I rehydrate something for a longer time (such as a sauce with chicken) then I can plop the whole Nalgene in my pot of boiling pasta water to heat it back up (just be sure to vent the lid if you do this). I still can't bring myself to dehydrate the pasta (unless I am in a high altitude area) - I prefer to cook it at camp.

So for three of us I dirty 1 Nalgene, 1 pot, 3 Lexan bowls and 3 small Lexan spoons. Hubby does the dishes anyway.

I have to admit I am a bit of a klutz with freezer bags too.

I had never thought of eating right out of the Nalgene - lol - guess I'll always be a bowl or plate type of gal.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 12/04/2006 07:23:00 MST.

> PS: Why carry a cozy? They save a lot of fuel, as they keep your food hot while it finishes "cooking".

I tried measuring the rate of cooling with and without a 'cozy'. There was little in it, and the food cooked just fine without.

Fwiiw, I bring the water to the boil with the rice or pasta etc in it, and with a good lid!, and then turn the stove off and close up the windshield around the pot and stove. Nothing else. Works wonderfully. Food still is too hot to eat after 10 minutes.

So, for me, a cozy is just another bit of extra weight I don't need.

Hi Roger,

If you are rehydrating something such as chicken you generally need a good deal longer than 10 minutes. A cozy can be very beneficial for a variety of meals.

I use a used Mountain House food cooking bag for my extra pot, etc. So I don't worry too much about a cozy. Since I don't know how a cozy would work with it. I'm generally so hungry when I get to cooking that things don't have much of a chance to cool. Even cold smashed potato stuff tastes good.

> If you are rehydrating something such as chicken you generally need a good deal longer than 10 minutes.
Um ... are you talking about home-dried dinners? Dessicator and all? In that case I have to plead ignorance.

We usually use freeze-dried dinners and commercially dried stuff, which seems to rehydrate in about 5 minutes. I know many will say 'oh yuk', but I can't agree, at least for the stuff we buy here in Oz.