Registered: 05/24/11
Posts: 19
Loc: Kansas City Missouri
What kind of rice to use and beans for frezer bag cooking . And where to get them at. I just recived Sarah Kirkconnels book on freezer bag cooking. I made my bag cozy the other day. I have looked every where I could think of in KC to find the black bean and refried bean flakes even looked at hole foods no luck.
I use Minute Rice. The white rice works best, but the brown rice is okay if you let it sit longer.
Whole Foods in St. Louis has the Fantastic Foods brand refried beans. They used to have the black beans as well, and so did at least two other local grocery stores, but then they disappeared completely for a while. The refried beans finally returned just recently to a couple places. You can order them from Fantastic Foods, but it's not very cost-effective when you add shipping unless you order a huge amount. I've also tried Ready Beans, which I liked, but they have the same issue with shipping.
Registered: 05/24/11
Posts: 19
Loc: Kansas City Missouri
Thanks I will be going out to ks right by hole foods today to pick up my sons repaired laptop. I did not ask them if they had them I just looked but like you said they might have them now I will ask when I am there. I was hopeing to fined a local place to get this stuff and not pay shipping shipping has gone sky high nowdays . I needed a sproket for a moped and had to order it the shiping was more than the part.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I agree about Minute Rice! I cook up a big batch of brown rice in vegetable broth and then dehydrate it. I'm actually doing that right now! Lots yummier than the Minute variety! I haven't found that it takes any longer to re-hydrate, though, but that may be because I used brown rice either way.
Even better than the Lundberg brown rice I've been using to dehydrate: Costco carries an "Organic Harvest Medley" rice in 3.2 lb. jars. It's a mixture of CalMati Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Sweet Brown Rice and Heirloom Red Rice.
Edited by OregonMouse (06/03/1108:56 PM)
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Stores are really good at hiding the stuff we hikers want I always encourage people to go wander their stores and take an hour to look up and down You can find lots of goodies!
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Registered: 12/26/08
Posts: 382
Loc: Maine/New Jersey
The Whole Foods by me has it as well. I understand you don't want to pay shipping, but I thought I might point to the links on the side if you happen to change your mind.
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Registered: 05/24/11
Posts: 19
Loc: Kansas City Missouri
Iam a litttle confused do you half to pre cook the rice then dehidrate it or will it cook ok in the bag cozy ? This is all new to me .I was talked in to trying the humms so I went and got some pita bread still hot just made and tryed it out it is realy good and just add water and olive oil .
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Regular (raw) rice will not cook sufficiently in the cozy--it comes out basically still raw. It takes about 20 minutes of cooking to cook raw white rice and about 40 minutes for raw brown rice, and that's at sea level.
The only alternatives for reconstituting rice in a freezer bag or the cooking pot are either to use Minute or Uncle Ben's "instant" Rice, or to cook and then dehydrate your own rice beforehand. Ms. Minute and Uncle Ben basically have done these steps for you, but some of us think the results aren't as tasty as the home-prepared rice. YMMV.
Even with Minute/Uncle Ben "instant" rice or the home cooked/dehydrated version, you need to allow 15-20 minutes of cozy time.
Edited by OregonMouse (06/04/1109:14 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Registered: 05/24/11
Posts: 19
Loc: Kansas City Missouri
I was not shure I was thinking it would take longer to cook rice. minute rice is bland . I worked with a guy from Laos 20 years a go and he had me try there rice it was the best I ever had they use sticky rice and soak it over night then they used a pot shaped like a big spitoon on top they had a looked like a straw hat that u steam the rice in and shake it every so often as it cooks it balls up and is sticky you eat it in balls th ey have littlle straw weved carying pot things that have a string on them to the lid they keep the cooked rice in he would have that and hard boiled eggs all most every day . I tell you he would all most live on that some times he had fish soop it stunk the hole place up but I got brave and tryed it one day it was very hot and spicy but good . The sticky rice and the eggs went together so good I loved it. I had him get me the stuf to make it and would make it when camping not backpacking . Wish I still had that stuff.
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
kcdan62-
Try checking the Asian sections of local stores for short-grain rice. Most Americans expect rice to be fluffy, separate grains, so that is the market to which most American rice companies cater. Hubby was into rice balls for a while after being stationed in Hawaii (40+ years ago). I think I had some success making rice balls with Asian short grain rice. It may work for you.
If you wish to take this kind of rice backpacking, either plan for long cooking and cleaning a sticky pot or precook, chill (makes rice easier to separate), then dehydrate your own rice. Adding oil before dehydrating will likely keep your rice from sticking as you wish AND go rancid on you.
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