I guess that most of us use tinned food on trips sometimes, so, what are your favourites? recipe ideas?
Tinned/canned food
- Thread starter rik_uk3
- Start date
On dayhike, w/my nephew, I usually take a couple of instant cup of soups, as they are convenient, make no mess in a cooking pot, and are tasty (well, to me anyway). Other than supplementing with a can of chicken on occasion, I stick to that for dayhikes.
Bin the tin - too much rubbish
I vouch for the pouch - though it is more expensive!
Check out www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk for gourmet pouch food!
Or you can stick with army surplus rat packs.
Pros - Pouches are easier to prepare, less mess, more compact rubbish.
Antis - no empty tins for improvised mugs/pots/stoves, smaller range of foods available, easier to puncture (though I never have).
Dehydrated pouch food has the sole advantage of being light, but is generally awful - unless you make your own....and you can also make your own pouched meals for even more choice!
Bin the tin! IMHO....
jOHN
I vouch for the pouch - though it is more expensive!
Check out www.lookwhatwefound.co.uk for gourmet pouch food!
Or you can stick with army surplus rat packs.
Pros - Pouches are easier to prepare, less mess, more compact rubbish.
Antis - no empty tins for improvised mugs/pots/stoves, smaller range of foods available, easier to puncture (though I never have).
Dehydrated pouch food has the sole advantage of being light, but is generally awful - unless you make your own....and you can also make your own pouched meals for even more choice!
Bin the tin! IMHO....
jOHN
John Fenna said:
Nothing wrong with taking a tin or two imho. They don't get damaged in transit and
the empty can doubles up as a spare water carrier/ drinking mug/ digging implement/ brazier. I have used a can for all of those uses before, albeit only because I forgot to pack important kit
Favourite can contents - baked beans of course 
John, I think we will see more and more food in retort pouches in the future, but for now they are well over priced (apart from rat packs). Tinned fish and corned beef are about the only cans I will carry.
As much as I prefer fresh food I do confess I use a fair amount of tinned items for convenience
My favourate 'can' recipe by far is v simple and makes an ace and easy meal
I call it ' SPAGBOL SOUP'
You require....
Thats it - I said it was simple diddn't I - and it tastes sooo good! (well I think so! )
My favourate 'can' recipe by far is v simple and makes an ace and easy meal
I call it ' SPAGBOL SOUP'
You require....
- Tin of mince and onion pie filling
- Tin of Tomatoes
- 2 or 3 oxo cubes
- 1/2 - 2/3 of a packet of spagetti
- water
- break up spagetti into small (1"?) pieces
- add tin of pie filling
- add tin of tomatoes (choped up)
- add oxo cubes
- add water
- boil untill spagetti is cooked
Thats it - I said it was simple diddn't I - and it tastes sooo good! (well I think so!
)
Tinned Chicken curry with uncle bens packet rice = huge lunch
Tinned chilli con carne --------------------- " ----------------------------
Tinned steak & onion ----------------------- " ----------------------------
Tinned all day breakfast
Tinned salmon or tuna with a tube of hellmans mayo & wad of bread
Tinned beans and sausseges
Tinned Rice Pudding - OMG
and my personal fave - drum roll - Tinned Bacon Grill (ex squaddies may wipe a tear - its OK)
I have no problem with tins when backpacking - really the extra weight of the tin is peanuts - and they dont need to take up your carrying water to cook. Also they may ALWAYS be eaten cold as they are cooked when they are canned. Most of them can be heated in the can and eaten straight out of the can thus saving washing of cookware and plates etc svaing carry water again.
Cheers
Nick
Tinned chilli con carne --------------------- " ----------------------------
Tinned steak & onion ----------------------- " ----------------------------
Tinned all day breakfast
Tinned salmon or tuna with a tube of hellmans mayo & wad of bread
Tinned beans and sausseges
Tinned Rice Pudding - OMG
and my personal fave - drum roll - Tinned Bacon Grill (ex squaddies may wipe a tear - its OK)
I have no problem with tins when backpacking - really the extra weight of the tin is peanuts - and they dont need to take up your carrying water to cook. Also they may ALWAYS be eaten cold as they are cooked when they are canned. Most of them can be heated in the can and eaten straight out of the can thus saving washing of cookware and plates etc svaing carry water again.
Cheers
Nick
In the colder months we like to cook up what we have come to call our "3 Tin Stew"
1 tin of good stewing steak
1 tin of mixed veg
1 tin of new potatoes.
Just empty the cans into the billy/trangia after draining off some of the fluid from the veg and spuds, then cook for about 10 minutes. Lovely grub !
If you're cooking over a fire you can eat from the billy, then add a handful of fine ash to the messy billy with some water from any local source (does not have to be drinkable water) and boil again. A vigourous attack with a stick and a good stir before tipping the water out leaves the billy clean enough to put away after a quick wipe witha piece of kitchen roll or a cloth
(Fat from the meat + Lye from the ashes = a form of soap)
1 tin of good stewing steak
1 tin of mixed veg
1 tin of new potatoes.
Just empty the cans into the billy/trangia after draining off some of the fluid from the veg and spuds, then cook for about 10 minutes. Lovely grub !
If you're cooking over a fire you can eat from the billy, then add a handful of fine ash to the messy billy with some water from any local source (does not have to be drinkable water) and boil again. A vigourous attack with a stick and a good stir before tipping the water out leaves the billy clean enough to put away after a quick wipe witha piece of kitchen roll or a cloth
(Fat from the meat + Lye from the ashes = a form of soap)
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
The kids favorite tinned camp food is syrup pudding. You know the ones you are supposed to boil the can water. Want we do is take the lid off and then place straight on the hobo stove with the lid back on. Heats up in about 5 mins to yummy hot snack.
Also try carnation caramel on grilled bananas [aaaarrrrhhhh droollll ]
Also try carnation caramel on grilled bananas [aaaarrrrhhhh droollll
]
I never take tins - excess / unnecessary weight / bulk is my enemy (you have to carry the tin with you when it's full and then when it's empty).
Instead, I empty the contents of the tin into a freezer bag (double up for safety). Less wasted weight means an easier hike or allows ne to carry extra kit / food.
Some of the freezer bags will withstand boiling and with a little care, the food can be heated inside the bag in boiling water (no mess).
Favourites? Anything with noodles - they weigh nothing and have a reasonable caloric value. Flat breads are also cool (naans, tortillas, etc) as you can just bung them in the base of your ruck and not worry about them being crushed to the point of being inedible (normal sliced bread doesn't withstand such treatment). Bread is an excellent stomach filler and weighs very little - plus, if you save it till the end of your meal, it'll wipe your bowl / pot almost clean.
Condensed milk is the only thing I'd ever take in a tin. Cover it with water and boil it inside the tin (without cutting any holes in the lid) for 10 minutes then simmer for an hour or so (never let the water boil away or it might explode) and you'll be rewarded with an awesome toffee caramel. Sure it takes a long time but if you set it on / near your fire when you start preparing your meal, it'll be ready once you've cleaned everything up.
Instead, I empty the contents of the tin into a freezer bag (double up for safety). Less wasted weight means an easier hike or allows ne to carry extra kit / food.
Some of the freezer bags will withstand boiling and with a little care, the food can be heated inside the bag in boiling water (no mess).
Favourites? Anything with noodles - they weigh nothing and have a reasonable caloric value. Flat breads are also cool (naans, tortillas, etc) as you can just bung them in the base of your ruck and not worry about them being crushed to the point of being inedible (normal sliced bread doesn't withstand such treatment). Bread is an excellent stomach filler and weighs very little - plus, if you save it till the end of your meal, it'll wipe your bowl / pot almost clean.
Condensed milk is the only thing I'd ever take in a tin. Cover it with water and boil it inside the tin (without cutting any holes in the lid) for 10 minutes then simmer for an hour or so (never let the water boil away or it might explode) and you'll be rewarded with an awesome toffee caramel. Sure it takes a long time but if you set it on / near your fire when you start preparing your meal, it'll be ready once you've cleaned everything up.
I take condensed milk in tubes (Tesco, 65p) and love it in tea or coffee
Tin of pilchards, fried onion, few mushrooms. Boil some rice, when cooked add pilchards, onion and musrooms (mash pilchards first) mix with rice, add curry powder and garlic, sounds bad, tastes great
Tin of pilchards, fried onion, few mushrooms. Boil some rice, when cooked add pilchards, onion and musrooms (mash pilchards first) mix with rice, add curry powder and garlic, sounds bad, tastes great
rik_uk3 said:I take condensed milk in tubes (Tesco, 65p) and love it in tea or coffee
Tin of pilchards, fried onion, few mushrooms. Boil some rice, when cooked add pilchards, onion and musrooms (mash pilchards first) mix with rice, add curry powder and garlic, sounds bad, tastes great
Sounds great to me Rik, just the nasty sounding but great tasting concoction I would come up with .
xylaria
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mantic said:
Carnation have started to do caramel in tins so you dont have to do this. It is really thick solid stuff just like what you get from boiling condensed milk. We brought some to the NW meet last weekend. Had it on baked bananas. [aaaagghhh drrooolll]
The easiest way of carring a tin IMHO is get one the kids to do it, if they want hot syrup pudding they can carry the can both full and empty
used to use bring beans, but when i went to sleep in the tenent it was like farting in a spacesuit
although being a tad green philosophically speaking i must admit to loving tinned grub !!! syrup sponge and shock horror those all day breakfasts!!! I remember as a kid watching an australian film about some truckies in the desert who lived on tins, unfortunately the labels had washed off an they played a gastronomic version of russian roulette every evening.... beans and prunes anyone ?
I bring Carnation evaporated milk, and chili (filling and spicy!), and Spam, and maybe baked beans. Not too much for weight, but certainly the first 2 always...
Cheers,
Mungo
Cheers,
Mungo
