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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Pot Size for Re-Hydrating Meals
 
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butthead
07/01/2020 11:31AM
 
Because I do not use pakaged dehydrated meals, but often do mix dehydrated ingreedients and add boiling water I use my insulated GSI solo press.n If it something I'll eat out of the cup I stack the small insulated cup inside the insulated press, doule insulated and this hold hot water for a long time. If just rehydrating to pan fry the press works well to keep heat in and doubles as a strainer. Pasta boil water add pasta then pour into the press to keep hot, frees up the stove and pot to cook other stuff.


butthead
 
fishEH
07/01/2020 12:25PM
 
I've made some of these as well. Seems like a clean and easy route to go. No pot washing and you can carry a smaller pot since you're only boiling water.


Northwoodsman: "I just use a pot to heat the water, I don't mix the meal in it. I made some meal pouch "Cozies" out of Reflectix that I purchased at a home improvement store. They are an envelope just slightly wider than the standard freeze dried meal pouch and one side is 2" taller so it can be folded over and clipped shut. I basically just determined the width and length needed, folded it, and taped the seams. Once I add hot water to the meal pouch I stir it, seal it, slide it into the pouch, and fold over the flap and clip it. After 10 minutes or so the meal is fully rehydrated and it's so hot you can't eat it. I often let it sit another 10 minutes or so to make sure that it is fully hydrated and still very hot, but doesn't burn your mouth. Everyone on the trip gets one. They take up almost no room, weigh next to nothing, and make all the difference in the world.



Once fully heated I take a knife and cut several inches off the top of the bag to turn it into a "bowl" to eliminate knuckle licking. I love that term! The only dishes to clean are a spoon (or spork) and the knife.


We find that we reheat our meals before we are ready to eat then go about our other activities while they "cook". As we gather firewood, build a fire, rearrange gear, organize camp (or sometimes set-up camp), store the canoe, hang gear to dry, filter more water, etc. we can forget about the meals because even 45 minutes to an hour later they are still plenty warm."

 
HappyHuskies
06/26/2020 06:11AM
 
I've had good luck with a 640 ml pot. It has plenty of headroom to allow me to stir things to keep them from sticking and burning. When I do freezer bag cooking instead of cooking in the pot, I find it has plenty of room for me to boil water for rehydration and a hot drink with room to spare.

In an ill-conceived effort to save more weight and space I did try using a 400 ml mug for a couple of trips. With a gram weenie stove (not a stove I enjoy using and would not recommend it to anyone, by the way) it was definitely light and compact, but barely had enough room to heat water for cooking in the bag and could not begin to think about using it for cooking food directly in the pot. This was NOT one of my better ideas!

After writing this I was curious what had been written about this elsewhere on the web. Seems like those who cook/rehydrate in there pots (as opposed to FB rehydration) lean towards a larger pot than I would have thought. Seems like 900 to 1000 ml comes up as a recommendation often. Some like something a little smaller, but this size seemed to be mentioned a lot.

Seems to make sense. I do know, based on experience that was learned the hard way, that while I don't want to carry a pot that is too bit, even worse is carrying a pot that is too small.

Boonie's suggestion to try it out at home makes a lot of sense.





 
butthead
06/26/2020 07:56AM
 
Everybody cooks differently, packs differently, and prefers specific metals for their own use.
I like a pot about 1quart or liter +-, tried several, compared them in terms of my use.
Left tro right SS MSR Alpine set smallest pot 1 quart +, Alocs anodized aluminum 1 liter, SnowPeak .9 liter.


MSR has a good fitting lid and has doubled as a small Dutch Over in camp,


Alocs (became my favorite) has a decent lid with straining holes, is anodized, heats water the fastest of the 3, has dimensions I like for my pack. Since the photo I removed the folding handles,


SnowPeak has a frypan lid so it can be used as 2 items, is lightest (not as much as many think),


I've use smaller 700ml, 400ml, even 12 ounce cans. Settled on pots of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inch in diameter4 to 5 inches in height, to fit better on the stoves I use, MSR Whisperlight, Simmerlight, WindPro, Alocs Split Wing (WindPro clone). These offer more room to pack a stove or even food in my pack.


My food packing is all home selected items air of freeze dried and mixed in camp so I do not do heat in bag meals. I need a cook pot for rehydration and cooking. Also I find rehydrating first the cooking in the pot to be quicker for meal prep and burner times, not a lot but quicker. Here is an example of my food or cooking pantry,


butthead
 
HighnDry
06/26/2020 03:39PM
 
butthead: "Everybody cooks differently, packs differently, and prefers specific metals for their own use.
I like a pot about 1quart or liter +-, tried several, compared them in terms of my use.
Left tro right SS MSR Alpine set smallest pot 1 quart +, Alocs anodized aluminum 1 liter, SnowPeak .9 liter.



MSR has a good fitting lid and has doubled as a small Dutch Over in camp,



Alocs (became my favorite) has a decent lid with straining holes, is anodized, heats water the fastest of the 3, has dimensions I like for my pack. Since the photo I removed the folding handles,



SnowPeak has a frypan lid so it can be used as 2 items, is lightest (not as much as many think),



I've use smaller 700ml, 400ml, even 12 ounce cans. Settled on pots of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inch in diameter4 to 5 inches in height, to fit better on the stoves I use, MSR Whisperlight, Simmerlight, WindPro, Alocs Split Wing (WindPro clone). These offer more room to pack a stove or even food in my pack.



My food packing is all home selected items air of freeze dried and mixed in camp so I do not do heat in bag meals. I need a cook pot for rehydration and cooking. Also I find rehydrating first the cooking in the pot to be quicker for meal prep and burner times, not a lot but quicker. Here is an example of my food or cooking pantry,



butthead"



I like that Alocs pot/lid combo!
 
sns
06/27/2020 08:32AM
 
Many years using a toaks 650 for this exact purpose. No need to change.
 
butthead
06/26/2020 06:16PM
 
paddlinjoe: "butthead: "Everybody cooks differently, packs differently, and prefers specific metals for their own use.



Here is an example of my food or cooking pantry,




butthead"




Hello,



I am always interested in what and how people pack different foods. I am curious, what food is the yellow and green balls that look to be the size of peas?



paddlinjoe"



Just Tomatoes mixed vegies for the green stuff, cheadar cheese powder for the yellow. Down from pot and pan condiments of seasonings and green onions, oil and maple syrup, beer mix, bacon pre cooked, freeze dried turkey, beef, Italian sausage, plain pork sausage. GSI solo coffee press, drink mixes, butter, soups, whole milk powder, sour cream powder, cheese powder. MSR stove and Polar Pure, tomatoe paste and dried tomatoes, mixed vegies, mushrooms, mashed potatoes. Fuel bottles, candy mints, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate squares, rye hard tack squares, coffee.


butthead

 
sns
06/30/2020 07:06AM
 
Jaywalker: "brulu: ".....I hate getting lasagna sauce all over my knuckles while trying to dig the last bits out of the foil bag. It's uncivilized. "
I so agree with you on this!"



The solution for this - and I just dealt with saucy knuckles for years until someone smarter than me gave me a tip - is to fold the top couple inches of pouch down on itself, to the inside, not the outside. Shortens the bag height and eliminates knuckle licking.
 
brulu
06/27/2020 12:25PM
 
Just for size reference (I realize you are looking for a metal pot), I usually rehydrate commercial freeze-dried meals in a (plastic) 28 oz (828 mL) GSI Fairshare mug. It's usually one of the 2 serving meals. The Fairshare mug has never been too small for this. I hate getting lasagna sauce all over my knuckles while trying to dig the last bits out of the foil bag. It's uncivilized.
 
Jaywalker
06/27/2020 05:46PM
 
brulu: ".....I hate getting lasagna sauce all over my knuckles while trying to dig the last bits out of the foil bag. It's uncivilized. "
I so agree with you on this!


Just for clarification, are you talking about rehydrating one whole packet that says “two servings” - like one of those meals that says two servings but each serving is just 300 calories? You are right, I am looking for metal but the size reference is helpful.
 
brulu
06/28/2020 12:43AM
 
>are you talking about rehydrating one whole packet that says “two servings” - like one of those meals that says two servings but each serving is just 300 calories?


Yep, that's what I meant.
 
brulu
06/30/2020 10:25PM
 
sns: "The solution for this - and I just dealt with saucy knuckles for years until someone smarter than me gave me a tip - is to fold the top couple inches of pouch down on itself, to the inside, not the outside. Shortens the bag height and eliminates knuckle licking."


Hadn't thought of folding the outside in, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm without my usual set of dishes.
 
Jaywalker
06/30/2020 10:54PM
 
brulu: "sns: "The solution for this - and I just dealt with saucy knuckles for years until someone smarter than me gave me a tip - is to fold the top couple inches of pouch down on itself, to the inside, not the outside. Shortens the bag height and eliminates knuckle licking."



Hadn't thought of folding the outside in, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm without my usual set of dishes."

That’s a very clever idea. Of course getting one of those long handled spoons would also help. In my case, I’m interested in getting rid of the bags altogether to reduce bulk.


I got my new 900ml pot today. It seams fractionally larger then the 700
ml, but should help me prevent some spilling!
 
Northwoodsman
07/01/2020 10:22AM
 
I just use a pot to heat the water, I don't mix the meal in it. I made some meal pouch "Cozies" out of Reflectix that I purchased at a home improvement store. They are an envelope just slightly wider than the standard freeze dried meal pouch and one side is 2" taller so it can be folded over and clipped shut. I basically just determined the width and length needed, folded it, and taped the seams. Once I add hot water to the meal pouch I stir it, seal it, slide it into the pouch, and fold over the flap and clip it. After 10 minutes or so the meal is fully rehydrated and it's so hot you can't eat it. I often let it sit another 10 minutes or so to make sure that it is fully hydrated and still very hot, but doesn't burn your mouth. Everyone on the trip gets one. They take up almost no room, weigh next to nothing, and make all the difference in the world.


Once fully heated I take a knife and cut several inches off the top of the bag to turn it into a "bowl" to eliminate knuckle licking. I love that term! The only dishes to clean are a spoon (or spork) and the knife.

We find that we reheat our meals before we are ready to eat then go about our other activities while they "cook". As we gather firewood, build a fire, rearrange gear, organize camp (or sometimes set-up camp), store the canoe, hang gear to dry, filter more water, etc. we can forget about the meals because even 45 minutes to an hour later they are still plenty warm.
 
Jaywalker
06/28/2020 09:25AM
 
Well I appreciate everyone’s suggestions and I looked up each of the pots and cups mentioned. The truth here is that I posted my question here just after Amazon delivered a Toaks 700ml pot to my door. I looked at it and thought it looked too small. Sounds like a couple of you have used this or just smaller for some time, yet I just kept imagining a little bit spilling over the top like Brulu mentioned. I was also thinking some of the dehydrated meals I make myself could be a bit larger, so after some consideration I retourned my 700ml in exchange for the 900ml - same diameter but 3/4 inch taller and about 1oz more. Maybe I could have gotten by with the 700, but now I can confidently stir with more enthusiasm! Thanks for your input everyone.
 
butthead
06/28/2020 02:34PM
 
Excellent choice Jaywalker! Should give many trips of good meals.


butthead
 
JD
06/26/2020 10:46AM
 
I'd personally go with a 1L pot to be on the safe side, as you often need 16oz/500mL of water for meals, and then you have another 4-7oz of weight, though I don't know about volume. Still, a lot of stuff expands when you add it to water, and though it obviously absorbs the water, I wouldn't want less than a 750mL pot at the minimum, with 900 being more of a safe zone. If you're trying to save as much weight as possible, you could probably squeeze by with a 750mL, but if another 0.5-1oz is OK, and you can spare the volume, I'd go with a 900-1100mL pot. I have a TOAKS 1100mL that fits my Windpro II stove perfectly. You could fit an 8oz MSR isobutane canister instead if you wanna carry your stove separately. Maybe I'm a little on the large side for the actual requirements and maybe a 750 is all you'd need for 99% of meals, but I don't mind having a slightly larger pot.
 
boonie
06/26/2020 07:42AM
 
Hey, HH, sounds like "stupid light" :). Been there, done that.
 
HappyHuskies
06/26/2020 07:50AM
 
boonie: "Hey, HH, sounds like "stupid light" :). Been there, done that."


Sadly true and not the only time I've been guilty of it :)
 
Jaywalker
06/25/2020 10:06PM
 
OK, so if I want a single pot dedicated to rehydrating a variety of commercially packaged meals for one person, what size should I get? I'm talking about dumping the dry food into the pot for rehydration - not just boiling water then rehydrating in the bag. I know meal sizes vary - but I just have go deal with that.
 
OCDave
06/25/2020 10:28PM
 
Jaywalker: "OK, so if I want a single pot dedicated to rehydrating a variety of commercially packaged meals for one person, what size should I get? I'm talking about dumping the dry food into the pot for rehydration - not just boiling water then rehydrating in the bag. I know meal sizes vary - but I just have go deal with that. "


The IMUSA 12cm pot represents the best value in any of my backpacking/ canoe tripping gear. The CUB just South of REI in Bloomington carries them. Usually Less than $4. Perfectly sized for Solo or couples.


IMUSA 12 cm Mug

Tinny at Minibull designs makes a lid that fits nicely but is 3x the cost of the pot

Minibull Designs 12 cm Mug Lid

If you can't find the Mug locally, Tinny sells those as well for $10.

If you have seen and of Shug's videos, I am pretty sure the 12 cm mug is what he foldly calls his "hillbilly pot".

Good Luck
 
Tomcat
06/25/2020 10:29PM
 

 
boonie
06/26/2020 06:18AM
 
They will generally rehydrate to maybe about twice the size, Jaywalker, so one a little bigger than that. Try a couple meals at home to see.
 
paddlinjoe
06/26/2020 03:17PM
 
butthead: "Everybody cooks differently, packs differently, and prefers specific metals for their own use.


Here is an example of my food or cooking pantry,



butthead"



Hello,


I am always interested in what and how people pack different foods. I am curious, what food is the yellow and green balls that look to be the size of peas?


paddlinjoe