A quote from Raymond Blanc (Radio Times, 24-30 October, 2009. p30):
"Most Michelin-starred restaurants use
sous-vide cooking now (literally "under vacuum", a method of cooking food in airtight plastic bags, slowly at low temperatures). A dish cooked
sous-vide, as we chefs call it, will have more
jus, a better colour, better texture and the meat will be tender. There will be more flavour, because there is no oxidation. For all slow-cooked food, it's fantastic. Boil-in-the-bag has a terrible reputation, but
it's the best way to cook (my bold)."
Boil-in-the-bag - way to go. Mind you - there are some bl**dy awful ones out there.
Biff
(26-10-09 09:04 PM)Biff Wrote: [ -> ]A quote from Raymond Blanc (Radio Times, 24-30 October, 2009. p30):
"Most Michelin-starred restaurants use sous-vide cooking now (literally "under vacuum", a method of cooking food in airtight plastic bags, slowly at low temperatures). A dish cooked sous-vide, as we chefs call it, will have more jus, a better colour, better texture and the meat will be tender. There will be more flavour, because there is no oxidation. For all slow-cooked food, it's fantastic. Boil-in-the-bag has a terrible reputation, but it's the best way to cook (my bold)."
Boil-in-the-bag - way to go. Mind you - there are some bl**dy awful ones out there.
Biff
Hi there Biff, I still have some of the Military ration pack and they are boil in the bag, I keep them as emergency food now, but have used them in the past and some are just great, I love the corned beef hash especially, not everyone's favourite I know but with having false teeth a god send.
Any way a good user title for you Boil in the Bag Biff.
Nice to hear from you mate, Best regards Bill
(26-10-09 09:04 PM)Biff Wrote: [ -> ]"Most Michelin-starred restaurants use sous-vide
sous-vide...Brilliant, gotta remember that one....
Cheers
Red.
(27-10-09 11:49 AM)Canalvoyageur Wrote: [ -> ]Hi there Biff, I still have some of the Military ration pack and they are boil in the bag, I keep them as emergency food now, but have used them in the past and some are just great, I love the corned beef hash especially, not everyone's favourite I know but with having false teeth a god send.
Any way a good user title for you Boil in the Bag Biff.
Nice to hear from you mate, Best regards Bill
Cheers, Bill. A tease (perhaps) to get a discussion started.
My pan set (Trangia 27) are too small to take bags to boil, so cook the contents in the pan.
Looking through manuals like 'Song of the Paddle', for long trips, meals tend to be cooked at base and bagged to cool - if the bags are air-tight, the meals should be sterile and will keep for a reasonable time. The commercially available meals will be sterile (most are stacked outside of the refrigerator zone) and have a long shelf-life (upto a year, I believe) - ideal for a long camping trip. Meal quality has improved, as typified by the
'Look What We've Found' range.
Some of the budget, supermarket-own-brand offering are quite tasty as well. I've only tried the ones from Sainsbury's, but have been pleasantly surprised. The ones I
DON'T like are those prepared specifically for camping, although I've only tried the puddings (I'd rather eat cardboard !!!).
(Boil in t'bag) Biff
If you want food out of a bag, try one of
these.
TGB
(27-10-09 01:05 PM)Biff Wrote: [ -> ]Cheers, Bill. A tease (perhaps) to get a discussion started.
My pan set (Trangia 27) are too small to take bags to boil, so cook the contents in the pan.
With the Wayfayrer packs, if you've got a fire going you don't need to boil them, or put them in the pan, I just place mine next to the fire (or leant on a log next to the firebox)....They do a treat....
(27-10-09 01:05 PM)Biff Wrote: [ -> ]The ones I DON'T like are those prepared specifically for camping, although I've only tried the puddings (I'd rather eat cardboard !!!).
Now I
just know you're talking about the Wayfayrer packs, but I don't do puddin' so wouldn't be able to comment,
however, from personal experience, I'd say some of the main meals (not all) are mighty fine....
Cheers
Red.
A few years ago at the NEC on one of the outdoor shows there was a company, think their name was Expedition foods?? They did a pretty good Killen Curry (That's chicken to you and I) but they also did a blindingly good porridge!!
I know Porridge is easy to make, but sometimes boil in the bag just does it!
Graham.
To further the debate (perhaps):
Depression link to processed food
Whether this would be a problem on a short canoe/camping trip is debatable, and there is the possiblilty that people with underlying depression eat more processed food, rather than a simple cause-and effect. Would it affect a happy paddler? Probably not.
Home made 'boil-in-the -bag' meals is one answer. Packing some fresh food - fruit for example, would also be a good idea, especially on longer trips. Just a question of balance, I suppose.
Biff
(07-12-09 04:02 PM)Shewie Wrote: [ -> ]For anyone who wants to have a go at making their own menus I can recommend these ....
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/boil-a-bags/F/...oduct/1405
Been using them for quite a few years now.
Hi Shewie, Welcome to the hot house (or is that mad house) that is CWaV.
I've been wondering about these, and may get my hands on some for next year to try out. How well do they seal? My idea is to pre-cook things, bag them hot (and hopefully sterile), allow to cool and maybe store frozen (for long term - thaw them before taking them on a trip)? Would that work?
How do you use them?
Biff
I've always just used the twisty ties and placed them strategically in billy cans etc. They are tough though and will stand up to a fair bit of punishment before splitting. The good thing is you can boil up a meal like a chilli or curry and then use the water to make a brew afterwards.
I'm not sure on the sealing side of things, you might want to ask Lakeland if they can suggest anything.
(07-12-09 05:46 PM)Shewie Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not sure on the sealing side of things, you might want to ask Lakeland if they can suggest anything.
Hummm. At 8"x12" they sound like they could hold more than enough for one, if each meal part (curry, rice etc) is bagged separately. Then the bag could be sealed by knotting. I'll have to give 'em a go.
What's the longest you've kept stuff in a bag - and do you take cooked or uncooked food?
Questions, questions - they never end .....
Biff
I'm wondering about how safely you could transfer a meal into one of these bags and prevent spoilage.
I should think that the safest thing to do would be to bag up a meal, and then heat treat it to destroy any nasties that are introduced to the bag.
Though if the food is already way above a temperature that bacteria can survive in, then surely the food would still be above this temp after bagging and any bacteria introduced to the bag would be destroyed by the heat of the food anyway... I suppose it depends on the situation...
My preference has been to cook from ingredients when I'm camping and I have some pride about this, but I also like this idea and can think of loads of little ways to elevate my camp cuisine that wouldn't feel like cheating!
I have read this thread with a great deal of interest. A lot of the places we trip do not allow cans or bottles so we bought a vacuum sealer last year to pack these items. Since reading this thread I checked the bags and they can be used for cooking in. They are awesome for freezing. The food comes out about as good as it goes in even after a few months. Now I'm thinking they would be great for packing meals we wouldn't normally eat when camping (ie butter chicken, homemade chilis or stews). I can pack leftovers from family meals, freeze them and pull them out at anytime for a trip.
What I'm wondering is what type of meals do others pack using this method and how well do things keep? We did seal a can of baked beans in a bag and leave it on the counter for about a month. It looked and smelled OK but I didn't have the guts to try it!
Vicki
Sorry Kanutripr, can't comment as I've not used them yet...
But thanks for revitalizing the thread, I meant to give them a go when I read it last but I never got around to it.....mmmm I'm off to
http://www.lakeland.co.uk......
Cheers
Red.