From: Norwood, Anthony (Anthony.Norwood@usdoj.gov)
Date: Tue Sep 17 2002 - 08:32:14 CDT
We had a funny thing happen from this list in the last week. It seems the same ranger whose experience convinced one crew to use turkey bags this summer, was the same ranger who convinced my crew not to use turkey bags. I let him in on this coincidence and he responded. A fine young man.
"A Rangers Philosophy of "Turkey" Roaster Bag use in
the backcountry.
(feel free to share with others)
As some of you know, roaster bags have become popular
culinary items in backcountry kitchens all over the US
and beginning to become popular in Europe. The
process is like this: Close to 1.5 quarts of water is
brought to boil in a large pot. The food and required
amount of water are put into a large plastic 'roaster'
bag. As soon as the water in the pot boils the
roaster bag is put in the pot. The food then cooks
and is served directly out of the bag. After many
uses of the traditional one-pot meals and use of
roaster bags on personal and Troop and trips and
watching and listening to others experiences I have
formed my own opinions on their use.
Pros:
-Aid in cleanup
Cons:
-The weight of a dozen slimy roaster bags is more or
equal to the weight of a properly used yum-yum bag
-Slimy roaster bags have much more of an odor than a
few grains of rice in yum-yum bag
-If you have to wash 12 other bowls why not wash one
more big pot
-You have to get the pot dirty anyway when you wash
all of the other bowls in it. Usually by the time all
the personal bowls have been washed in the cook pot
the big pot has soaked enough in the soapy water to
just require a quick scrub
-Burning is not usually a problem (I believe that I
only burned the bottom of one pot this summer) it
depends heavily on the stove and just simply paying
attention
-It can be hard to stir the food in the bag and break
up the well-known stroganoff snowballs and other such
chunks.
-Difficulty in stirring can also mean increased risk
of accident or injury in the cooking area. Remember
that a pot should always be well balanced and firmly
held
-Getting all of the food out of the bags can be
difficult and often times requires sticking part of
your arm into the bag to scrape the bottom with the
spoon greatly increasing the risk of getting food on
the clothing or skin (BEARS)
-Like all real backpackers none of us measure the
water we add to food so it is important to keep some
water on hand to add to the meal while stirring. With
roaster bags, adding cold water means that it takes
much longer to cook the meal, because that cold water
needs to heat up. (longer cook time means more fuel
and less nap nap time) On the other hand when adding
cold water to a pot meal the added water heats up very
quickly after being added because it is in contact
with the very hot surfaces of the pot
As you can see I tend to lean towards leaving the
roaster bags at home and just simply 'licking' the pot
clean. There is one case where I do use bags in
cooking. Often times when I go backpacking here in
Indiana I make pudding in a large zip-lock and when it
is time to eat it I cut off a corner of the zip-lock
with a knife and squeeze out the pudding like
toothpaste. Also, I often use rices and noodles that
can be presoaked. So I put them in a zip-lock with
half the amount of water and pack them to the next
camp. When its time to cook I empty the contents into
the pot with the remaining required water. It cuts
down on cook time dramatically. It is a shame we were
not officially allowed to teach the 'human sump'
method. The bottom line is that you always do what
you are most comfortable with and that everyone agrees
on. Good luck in all of your future endeavors and I
am always glad to answer any questions.
Zach Weimer
"A fed bear is a dead bear"
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