Cold Water Pasta

[TRAIL TAILOR]

So, I was talking with a work associate today and he said they take uncooked pasta camping with them and soak it in ambient temp water for a few hours. Add whatever sauce from a can or jar, chicken or tuna or veggies and they have lunch or dinner.

I once did this with ramen noodles by accident as I didn't hit the start button on the microwave and got busy doing something else and the noodles absorbed the water, several hours later.

I will have to try this out and experiment a bit... I know an egg based noodle will absorb the cold/ambient temp water and soften over time, but how long are we talking about?

Wonder if the slow starch release just makes this a gooey mess??

Anyone try this before?

FOODBUSTERS begins for me..

J

 

[rusty_tlc]

That's a great idea. Even if it didn't soften the noodles entirely it would cut cooking time a lot.

 

[e9999]

I would think that if this worked well across the board, the Italians would have perfected it a long time ago.
But of course, it might just do in a pinch for camping. Somehow does not sound too good to me, though.

However, I have eaten pasta cooked a day or 2 before. It is still soft and with good consistency even if cold. Would that not suggest that it might be better to cook the pasta normally at home, coat it with good EVOO and just pack it, to be eaten either cold later on at camp or warmed up quickly?

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I would think that if this worked well across the board, the Italians would have perfected it a long time ago.
But of course, it might just do in a pinch for camping. Somehow does not sound too good to me, though.

However, I have eaten pasta cooked a day or 2 before. It is still soft and with good consistency even if cold. Would that not suggest that it might be better to cook the pasta normally at home, coat it with good EVOO and just pack it, to be eaten either cold later on at camp or warmed up quickly?

This is what I was thinking, JUST PRE-COOK the pasta and go camping.. I'm more interested if it actually would work offgrid if you needed a means of food and this was all you had??

J

 

[rusty_tlc]

99.9% of the pasta you eat in restaurants is pre cooked. They just drop it in boiling water for a couple of minutes to heat it up. The key is to properly under cook the pasta.

The problem with doing this for camping is it will spoil unless refrigerated. One of the advantages of pasta for camping is you can store it indefinitely with no refrigeration.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

99.9% of the pasta you eat in restaurants is pre cooked. They just drop it in boiling water for a couple of minutes to heat it up. The key is to properly under cook the pasta.

The problem with doing this for camping is it will spoil unless refrigerated. One of the advantages of pasta for camping is you can store it indefinitely with no refrigeration.

Yes, I agree on the cooked pasta spoiling without refrigeration..

I'm gonna see how long it takes to cold water "cook" pasta this weekend..

I'll try a spaghetti, rotini, wide egg, and macaroni noodle in a small batch this week end and see what the time frames are for onsite..offgrid absorption rates are with a ambient water temp..

J

 

[e9999]

well, you have a truck with (usually) a hot engine, very hot manifold or header, lots of hot coolant, and a pretty hot exhaust pipe and muffler. Surely there must be a way to cook pasta in hot water I would think... How about a piece of copper pipe 3 or 4" in diameter, 15" long, plugged on one end, and attached to the exhaust pipes going down from the engine. A bit of water, a half pound of spaghetti in there and voila... Hot cooked pasta

 

[wob]

well, you have a truck with (usually) a hot engine, very hot manifold or header, lots of hot coolant, and a pretty hot exhaust pipe and muffler. Surely there must be a way to cook pasta in hot water I would think... How about a piece of copper pipe 3 or 4" in diameter, 15" long, plugged on one end, and attached to the exhaust pipes going down from the engine. A bit of water, a half pound of spaghetti in there and voila... Hot cooked pasta

If you have your truck, why go to that trouble? Just take something to boil the water with you. Jesus Christ.

 

['74 UA FJ]

Why would you eat pasta while camping? Grill some meat.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Why would you eat pasta while camping? Grill some meat.

I guess it depends on what kind of camping we are talking about.

When I hike I don't carry an ice chest to keep meat from rotting.

When we get in the back country for a few days keeping meat fresh is also a problem since we don't have one of those fancy smancy 12V freezers.

I guess if you camp at the local KOA and can make a grocery run every day you could grill meat for every meal.

Back OT:

My solution is to use a quicker cooking pasta like angel hair

 

['74 UA FJ]

I guess it depends on what kind of camping we are talking about.

When I hike I don't carry an ice chest to keep meat from rotting.

When we get in the back country for a few days keeping meat fresh is also a problem since we don't have one of those fancy smancy 12V freezers.

I guess if you camp at the local KOA and can make a grocery run every day you could grill meat for every meal.

Back OT:

My solution is to use a quicker cooking pasta like angel hair

Most big coolers will keep ice for about 5-7 days. You don't need a 12V freezer.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Most big coolers will keep ice for about 5-7 days. You don't need a 12V freezer.

Wanna go to Death Valley with me sometime?


Camping in the south west is a little different than the rest of the country. Towns (Ice) are few and far between temps run hotter.

I'm not saying you can't manage an ice chest for a longer trip but for us it's usually more of a PITA than it's worth.

Besides I like pasta.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

rusty, we are on the same page. My wife and I usually travel by cruiser as far as we can and then hike several miles to get further away and back where the nature really is undisturbed.. So, I like to pack light dry food items and use mountain lakes and streams for our water resources and BTW they are excellent Mother Nature Inns for overnight stays.

I do the occasional camping trip like the majority does.... Drive til the road ends and pitch a tent or a campground by a river or lake..

But, prefer the seclusion and challenge of what we do the best.

Yes, a steak is great, but peace and quiet with a simple meal is sure hard to beat.

J

 

[skidplate]

When in the back country, I don't do dishes. My main meal of the day is a "Cup O Noodles", just add hot water and there you have it. Save the cup for instant oatmeal in the morning. It's light and taste ok. I have a friend who hiked the entire Muir trail and tells tales of making pizzas, pies, etc. Waay too much hassel for me. Now car camping, thats a whole 'nother story.

 

['74 UA FJ]

I don't camp for more than two weeks at a time. Meals consist of steak, pork chops, burgers, hot dogs, and bushes baked beans every night. It's not difficult.

Oh yeah, beer is a staple, so a cooler is gonna be there anyway.