Tinned.canned food

[rik_uk3]

A lot of us your retort pouch food and very good some of it is; that said, many seem to have forgotten standard tins of food and how cheap it is in comparison. Its not just baked beans, its tinned meats, fish, stews, curries, vegetables, fruit, milk etc.

So before you run off and spend £3.50 on a retort pouch of food, ask yourself how you could use canned food to offer a similar meal such as

411gm tin of stewed steak in gravy 99p
packet of smash 37p
small tin of pineapple chunks 39p
small tin evaporated milk 27p

Total £2.02 and you won't go to bed hungry and the weight is about the same as a couple of pouch meals which could indeed cost you more.

 

[Shewie]

I'm quite partial to a tin of Stag Chilli or chicken curry, transferred into a boil-a-bag for the trip though.

 

[rik_uk3]

I'm quite partial to a tin of Stag Chilli or chicken curry, transferred into a boil-a-bag for the trip though.

Weight saved, is it worth it?

Have you tried the very large cans of chilli from Lidl Shewie?

Iceland (stores) Chicken curry (mild or hot) £1.25, five minute rice 36p, belly full of grub for £1.61

This ain't gourmet food, but its no worse than rat pack meals and can work out saving you money and offering variety.

Anyone got a days menu using canned, long life/off the shelf products?

 

[Shewie]

Not really for the weight saving Rik, it's just that I can get more bags stuffed into spaces than tins. Plus I can get some rice or pasta on the go and warm the chilli up at the same time in the same pan.

I've never been one to pay £4 for those pouch meals, total rip off if you ask me.

I'll keep a look out for those other treats thanks.

 

[Bogman10]

I'm quite partial to a tin of Stag Chilli or chicken curry, transferred into a boil-a-bag for the trip though.

take your Dutch oven; line the bottom and 1 inch up the sides with Tortilla chips : spread around a handful of shredded Cheddar, The dump in your can of STAG Chile or 2 top with more Tortilla chips 2 handfuls of shredded cheese and Tomato slices and green onions if you want, bake till hot and cheese is brown. YOU have now made my FAMOUS Chili-pot pie! Since it is a pie serve it with Sour creme ( instead of ice cream ) .
Please keep in mind that this is my SECRET RECIPE!!!!!! DO NOT SHARE WITH ANYBODY OR RISK CERTAIN PAINFUL DEATH!!!!!


Give it a try though, yummy.

 

[Toddy]

For me any weight I don't have to carry is a good thing and I'm not fond of processed food.

I can buy a kilo of rice for under a pound, I need 50g for a normal serving, so that's 5p.
Tvp mince or tofu works out at 20p for a serving. A little tub filled with chopped sundried tomatoes, stock and herbs, less than 40p worth. A handful of home dried onions and mushrooms and peppers, less than 30p cost. Total weight 180g and it's a filling meal for under a £1.
Home made dried fruits make a great pudding, add some ground almonds creamed into a milk and the weight is still well under 250g and it'll cost about £1.50 and it's a well balanced, tasty meal.

or
Smash, gluten free flour with bp and seasonings added beforehand, add water and make tattie scones
Dried veggies and beans, stock and seasoning..........curry or Mexican and tatties scones to scoop it up with. Total weight (I've done this one recently) 185g and cost £1.55.
Home made biscuit dough baked on site for pudding. Weight 50g and cost 40p, that and dried apricots, weight 50g, cost 25p. Tastes and smells great
285g and cost £2.20

Therre are dozens of combinations like this.

Tbh I think it's horses for courses.
We all like different things.
I freely admit I'm a pain for other folks to feed.
If I'm car camping then yes, I will take tins; otherwise, it's just not happening.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Daegurth]

^that sounds amazing, i'm going to have to try it! i love chili nachos.

not only can you fit more full BITB bags into a space, but empty bags take up even less room, much less (and are quieter) than empty cans, too.

my favourite technique is simply boiling the grain/starch product in as little water as possible, then using the water that's there as a base for a powder sachet and some extra seasoning. take this from my newest blog entry:

On the hexy burner, I started heating water to boil the rice in, this would also become the sauce base. Dan is (expertly, might I add) frying bacon. You can see the boil in the bag rice packets ready to go into the water. Once the water was boiling, they went in, along with an Oxo cube, mixed herbs, salt, pepper, and a little oil. When they were done, I took them out, drained them a little, and hung them up to drip. By this time the meat was done, and I set about shredding it into pieces about half the size of a stamp. I added the Asda chilli mix into the seasoned water, emptied the bags of rice into this, and stirred to thicken. I then added the bacon, continues stirring for a few more minutes to make sure everything was heated evenly, and then it was ready to serve.

(from http://daegurth.wordpress.com/)

so you can see, the rice is boiled in seasoned water, the flavouring powder is added, and the meat transferred in. i think that in the future i'll be using cured meat; german and spanish sausages taste good, are lightweight, and keep almost indefinitely with care. jerky is another possiblity. this way i'll have just the grain/starch products, the flavourings, and the meats to carry. a simple, lightweight, easily-restocked system.

 

[rik_uk3]

I love fresh food when camping, but tins have a place too. One thing to bear in mind is that many of our younger members perhaps don't have to cook at home, so can't be expected to cook when at camp. Things like bannock bread or a good stew / curry may be second nature to most here but I'd bet there are some who can't boil an egg, so they should get off their derriere and learn to cook.

In the meantime, simple recipes could be very useful for them?

 

[durulz]

I agree that taking tins of food rather than pouches is not really significantly heavier (after all, it's the food that weighs, not the container).
However.
I don't take tinned food (or pouches for that matter) for two reasons - firstly, tins are not flexible and food in bags/pouches (whether fresh ingredients or rat-pack type 'meals') can be squeezed and moulded around other kit, making them space-efficient. Secondly, I wonder about the quality of the ingredients in tinned food - I just don't like processed filth with loads of additives and salt. That's just me.
Best option is to forgo both tinned and pouch meals. Instead, buy fresh ingredients (always cheap - thus saving money) and bag them up yourself (thus saving space). That's what I do and it's always served me well.
Although I admit that some ingredients cannot be 'bagged up' and tins are the most realistic option. But there is NO WAY I would buy tinned chilli or curry etc - not exactly the most difficult of food to cook in the first place and at least I have control over the quality of the ingredients.
Each to their own though.

 

[cbkernow]

the other important thing to remember about the pouch food is that it is already cooked so in an emergency it can be eaten straight out of the bag, without having to rehydrate or cook.

I prefer to have a combination, I like to have a couple of pouches as back up (which I can keep for a number of trips) and mostly fresh food for most everything else.

I do however enjoy tinned "big breakfast" sausage and beans and lumps of something that reckons it is bacon. yum. Not as classy as bannock or fresh cooked bacon, but definately hits the spot on a cold morning.

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

I love your ideas Toddy and I'm a great fan of camp cook books. I just find that for ease of carrying, cooking and cleaning up when wild camping, particularly when well away from resupply, then the pouches work for me.

Having tried to clean the remnants of a pot of chilli and rice while under the Shelter Stone in the middle of winter in a howling blizzard I'll take the easy option everytime!

 

[Melonfish]

totally taking those big breakie tins with me from now on, well worth it. tbh the other night i did stewing steak, new potatoes and carrots for tea all out the tin, was a great meal!
way to underestimated is the tinned food. the only issue is carrying the tins out again when done and the fact that they're quite oddly shaped and don't pack as easily as pouches.
still they're well worth it for what they contain!

 

[giz]

i also use tinned food loads more choice of meals plus rat packs always taste like s**t
to be honest and as far as rat packs being ready cooked so able to eat fro pouch all tinned food is already cooked in the tin
tins are usefull as containers or anything else if not you can squash them flat
ok heres a good one open your tin and empty contents into mess tin or nato mug
make holes in tin and add wood or hexi and use the empty tin as a stove

 

[giz]

totally taking those big breakie tins with me from now on, well worth it. tbh the other night i did stewing steak, new potatoes and carrots for tea all out the tin, was a great meal!
way to underestimated is the tinned food. the only issue is carrying the tins out again when done and the fact that they're quite oddly shaped and don't pack as easily as pouches.
still they're well worth it for what they contain!

fold them flat by standing on them

 

[maddave]

take your Dutch oven; line the bottom and 1 inch up the sides with Tortilla chips : spread around a handful of shredded Cheddar, The dump in your can of STAG Chile or 2 top with more Tortilla chips 2 handfuls of shredded cheese and Tomato slices and green onions if you want, bake till hot and cheese is brown. YOU have now made my FAMOUS Chili-pot pie! Since it is a pie serve it with Sour creme ( instead of ice cream ) .
Please keep in mind that this is my SECRET RECIPE!!!!!! DO NOT SHARE WITH ANYBODY OR RISK CERTAIN PAINFUL DEATH!!!!!


Give it a try though, yummy.

HELL YEAH!!!:You_Rock_ ... I'm so gonna steal that recipe

 

[agentx]

on a similar not i just a source of tinned margarine and cheese for those who are interested, i remember a thread about it a while back. sorry if ive hijacked this 1. link below, no connection and all that. http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/TINNED_FOOD/Rosa_Margarine_450g
http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/NEW_LINES/Happy_Cow_Austrian_Processed_Cheese

 

[sargey]

ah, agent x, welcome aboard.

plastic cheese from a can mmmhh mmhh. that take me back...

cheers, and.

 

[maddave]

ah, agent x, welcome aboard.

plastic cheese from a can mmmhh mmhh. that take me back...

cheers, and.

"CHEESE POSSESSED!!" Accept no substitute

 

[rik_uk3]

Good link, some of this stuff I get in my local B&M store. The canned jam and marg are from 10 man army rat packs.

on a similar not i just a source of tinned margarine and cheese for those who are interested, i remember a thread about it a while back. sorry if ive hijacked this 1. link below, no connection and all that. http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/TINNED_FOOD/Rosa_Margarine_450g
http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/NEW_LINES/Happy_Cow_Austrian_Processed_Cheese

 

[Matt.S]

I do rather enjoy the canned syrup pudding from Sainsbury's, and only 54p.