Companion forum thread to:

Ultralight Baking

Clever setup. Nice job.

Very good straightforward informative article.
I'll give it a try.
Thanks.

A very interesting idea! For us wood burners, I posted this earlier:

www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=64055

Anyone with a trail designs Ti-Tri inferno insert already has a baking device with no additional weight! Best for occasional use, probably :D

Dumplings are a great option if all you have is a pot with a lid and a screw-on-the-canister stove. You can cook them on top of any soup or stew.

Alice - Say more about that!

This is very intriguing to me. I'd love to try this.

Looks like Baco might be a Euro brand and not available in the US, and Reynolds (de facto oven bag maker here) only makes Large and Turkey sized bags. The large seems about 16" x 20".

Does anyone know of smaller sized oven bags here in the US?

Dumplings are just biscuits dumped in soup and boiled, basically.

Very innovative! The article did not mention the bakepacker oven, which is lighter than the outback oven, but not light as the cool setup described in this article. The bakepacker oven can be used with any type of stove since the pot serves as the "oven." It's just a separator grill that gets the cooking bag (any freezer bag) off the bottom of the pot, and the baking is down with steam from a small amount of water. At 4oz it seemed excessive to me until I realized the benefit of packing more calories into a bear canister allowing me to go further without resupply. The premixed corn breads, muffin mix, and bisquits pack very tightly with lots of carb calories. I think some small rocks might work as well as this bakepacker device, but I haven't tried it yet. I've only used this on long trips in Yosemite canister country. The small model fits perfectly in the MSR Titan and works great for 2. Left overs (if you have any) make a great snack next morning. I agree, baking in the wild is an awesome treat after a few days on the trail.

http://www.bakepacker.com/

I have a couple of Bakepackers, and I used to use them a lot for group trips. Although it would work for many kinds of bread recipes, it seemed to work best for pre-packaged snack breads that were mixed up with only about 2/3 of the liquid called for.

Hungry backpackers will eat up warm bread almost instantly.

--B.G.--

The Chicken-bags are only 12"x20".
http://www.amazon.com/True-Liberty%C2%AE-Bags-Chicken-All-Purpose/dp/B005AXUA98/ref=pd_sim_hg_1

Check our Pansaver liners. These come in a whole variety of sizes. I typically have the 4qt (UPC 658128420103) and 6qt (UPC 658128420110) sizes to go with the pots for my scouts and venturers. The 4qt are 12"x15" and the 6qt are 15"x15". Here is one link to see the full line of liners (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/231/steam-table-pan-liners.html). There are lots of different manufacturers and vendors. I actually thought these were a mylar material.

We too have several Bakepackers. The big one goes "car camping" on every trip and the small one still goes on lightweight trips where we aren't trying to pinch every last ounce. The kids (now grown) remember it fondly since we took it on their very first "real" backpacking trip. Something about eating real fresh gingerbread while sitting next to a stream a couple of days in just totally captured their imagination.

Ryan: The Ziplock steamer bags, intended for use in a microwave and seemingly made of the same material as the oven bags, might well do the trick. They come in three or four different sizes as I recall, and I have used them for FBC successfully. Sarah K would probably have a definitive answer on this.

I've considered trying Ziploc Steamer bags for baking, but this FAQ and answer at Ziplock website causes me to wonder if it's a good idea:

"Can I use Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Bags to cook on the stove?

"No. Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Bags are designed ONLY for use in the microwave. Do not use in a conventional oven, under browning elements, or on the stovetop. Ziploc® Zip’n Steam® Bags are not designed for boiling."

http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/ZipSteamMicrowaveCookingBags.aspx?SizeName=Medium

But maybe it'd be OK so long as the bag doesn't contact boiling water.

The "medium" Ziploc Steamer bag is 8" x 10" in size, with the "sealed" part of the bag being 8" x 8".

Edited by JRScruggs on 07/20/2012 18:25:06 MDT.

Isn't burning paint off the lid at low temps going to give nasty fumes?

Probably, it's certainly smelly.
Just be sensible - do this outside and keep your nose at a distance.

Thanks Laural! The True liberty Bags look like they will be the answer for me as I had run into the same problem with size Ryan did. I like the sound of the company also. I am putting in an order for the Chicken size bags and the cost is just enough to make my free shipping amount for a kayaking book I have wanted. Nice! Fresh scones in the Cascades! What a treat!

Here's a technique that would work with a number of backpacking wood stoves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AmlkelDlGU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is a show-off idea for the first night only, but:

Bring a package of pre-made, frozen pot-stickers. Wrap in a plastic bag and place in the center of your sleeping bag for insulation. If you pre-pack frozen stuff like that and put the whole stuff sack in the deep freezer a few days in advance, you'll get 24-48 hours of refrigeration. I do that all the time while transporting frozen salmon around North America. Just ask the R2R2R crowd.

Rather than fry them (messy), just toss them in water that you are boiling anyway for rice, ramen, pasta, etc. Fish them out and serve as hors d'overs.

Snag a packet of soy sauce from your next Chinese take-out order or pre-packaged sushi to use on said pot stickers.