Eggs in the backcountry

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Midwest Ed
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by Midwest Ed »

hooky wrote:Not to be a contrarian, but I reconstitute dehydrated food in freezer bags all the time. I've never had an issue with boiling water and the ziploc brand freezer bags.
There are two potential issues. 1) the mechanical integrity due to the higher temperatures. Ziploc brand is probably better than others but if not rated for the temperature a seam could fail. 2) the chemicals possibly released at higher temps can have a long term effect on health (i.e. cancer). Things can be released from some plastic at temperatures for which they aren't rated. The most talked about BPA I think is primarily in the stiffer plastic stuff like poly-carbonate bottles, etc., and the bigger danger is in long term exposure from long term exposure which isn't happening during meal.

Disclaimer: I'm not a medical doctor or chemical engineer or any sort of scientist credentialed in this area so even if I said you were probably OK with such sparse and intermittent exposure, I wouldn't listen to me, one way or the other. Now if it has anything to do with electricity, I'm your guy.
8 trips, 1975 x 2, 1976 x 2, 1978, 1985, 2000, 2013
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by johnhens »

We have always taken eggs. We dip the eggs in boiling water for 10 seconds and they are fine for a week in 70's temps. They are carried in plastic egg carrier. I did a long distance hike years ago and did this throughout summer. Nice to have fresh eggs.
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Lucky Chicken
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by Lucky Chicken »

I am in the boat with Hooky... thats what I put and make all my backpacking meals in. I pour boiling water in the bag, put the bag in an insulated pouch (mine is an old hat), let it sit until cooked, eat out of the bag, wash the spork and done!
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by tree rattt »

Dont the make a bag for roasting food in, thought I saw something at wally world.I will take a look at Ashland when I stop for a break.
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by Lucky Chicken »

they do but it is not zip top... you can get roasting bags to put a chicken in your oven... I have "baked" muffins in them on the trail, but they would be hard to keep food in while you hike.
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by hooky »

Midwest Ed wrote: Disclaimer: I'm not a medical doctor or chemical engineer or any sort of scientist credentialed in this area so even if I said you were probably OK with such sparse and intermittent exposure, I wouldn't listen to me, one way or the other. Now if it has anything to do with electricity, I'm your guy.
Now you tell me! I could have used your advice when I added another circuit, ran wiring for new ceiling fans and another outlet in the master bathroom. My brother was a journeyman electrician before changing careers and his advice to me halfway through the project was hire it out. :D

SC Johnson says they don't use BPA.

I forgot to add the link. It's in the FAQ tab.
http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/Zi ... zer%20Bags
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by LeftOvers »

I've repackaged Mountain House freeze-dried eggs from their #10 cans. It was OK but there were some problems. First, even though I repackaged right before the trip, they just didn't seem as good. Another thing was making sure the ingredients were evenly distributed (I did eggs and bacon). I was very careful and still ended up with the last bags having more bacon than some of the earlier ones.

Bakepacker, where you cook food in plastic bags in a gizmo that keeps the food resting just above boiling water, recommends Glad bags for their systems. Clearly they can handle prolonged exposure to boiling water. (http://www.bakepacker.com/. I love the Bakepacker for omelets, cakes, pancakes, and the like and there's just a plastic bag to pack out.

Powdered eggs - I've never had anything but very bad experiences with them. Until a friend made some on a recent trip. Wow! I couldn't tell them from fresh and I love eggs for breakfast. A good part of the trick is mixing them well and letting them reconstitute for 10 or 15 minutes or more before cooking. Seasonings and additional stuff also helps a lot. Cache Lake has some omelet mixes ready to go that are very good. Otherwise you can get dried whole eggs or just egg whites in most grocery stores under the brand Deb El.
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Re: Eggs in the backcountry

Post by hooky »

LeftOvers wrote:I've repackaged Mountain House freeze-dried eggs from their #10 cans. It was OK but there were some problems. First, even though I repackaged right before the trip, they just didn't seem as good. Another thing was making sure the ingredients were evenly distributed (I did eggs and bacon). I was very careful and still ended up with the last bags having more bacon than some of the earlier ones.
You say this like it's a bad thing. To me, that sounds more like the end of the trip reward - Big Bag-0 Bacon Breakfast.
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