Simple Foods for the Pack, Second Edition [Paperback]

Claudia Axcell (Author), Diana Cooke (Author), Vikki Kinmont (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sierra Club Books Publication | Publication Date: March 12, 1986

Featuring more than 180 trail-tested recipes for portable, delicious, and easy-to-prepare meals, this updated edition of the original - and best - natural foods backpacking cookbook adds Cordon Bleu chef's expertise to delight the palates of backpackers and day-hikers. It stresses variety and tastiness, with special attention to nourishment, nutritional balance, low cost, and health.
Mouth-watering recipes include Moroccan couscous, hot and sour soup, salmon in tomato-orange sauce, chocolate fudge pudding, and walnut spice cake. These foods are easily packed and use lightweight and long-lasting ingredients. The cookbook also provides menus; makes suggestions for foods prepared at home; and offers tips on packaging and carrying foods, selecting tools and utensils, medical information, use of fires, treating water, and where to buy ingredients.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The more than 180 trail-tested, natural foods recipes here reflect both the Cordon Bleu experience of Cooke and the backpacking knowledge of Excell and Kinmontwho wrote the first edition of this book 10 years ago. Concerned with taste as well as nutrition, the authors offer nut and seed spreads galore and all manner of dried fruit and whole grains. The best news is that a surprising number of tasty and accessible dishes have infiltrated the ranks of the GORP and miso soup gang: hot and sour soup, Swiss fondue, noodles with toasted cashew ginger sauce, pineapple upside-down cake and walnut spice cake. Recipes indicate which steps may be prepared at home and when a food processor can be used; the authors also cover tips on packaging and carrying foods; requisite tools and utensils; menu planning for short and long trips; and where to buy certain ingredients. This book is worth its weight both on the trail and off.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Anyone planning a wilderness trip should read Simple Foods For The Pack."

-- The New York Times

This new, updated edition of the original -and best -- natural foods backpacking cookbook features a wealth of trail-tested recipes for portable, delicious, easy-to-prepare meals, now enhanced by the expertise of a Cordon Bleu chef. The more than 180 mouth-watering recipes stress variety and flavor as well as convenience, low cost, and nutritional value.

Highlights include:
-- Exotic delicacies such as Moroccan cous-cous, hot and sour soup, and salmon in tomato orange sauce
-- An expanded dessert section featuring such taste-tempting treats as chocolate fudge pudding, walnut spice cake, and high mountain pie
-- Recipes to make both at home and in camp
-- Tips on packaging and packing foods
-- Suggestions for tools, utensils, and staple ingredients

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books; Revised edition (March 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871567571
• ISBN-13: 978-0871567574
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #890,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Outdoor Cooking > Camping & Hiking

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tasty recipes, but some hard-to-find ingredients, June 13, 2000

By 

Shawn Moses (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simple Foods for the Pack, Second Edition (Paperback)

Tired of oatmeal for breakfast, gorp for lunch, and Ramen noodles for dinner? Tired of buying those expensive dehydrated meals that turn out like soggy cardboard? This book might just save you from the trail food blahs. It is full of interesting, ususual foods such as crab a la king and polenta cakes. The recipes are simple and trail smart (a few do require weighty canned foods, though, and a few strike me as a bit too time-consuming to be very practical). This cookbook is mostly meat-free, except for a few seafood dishes. If you want dishes with meat, you might want to take a look at the cookbook put out by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). A final word of warning: some ingredients can be hard to find. In putting them together, I have made trips to Middle Eastern and Asian groceries, health food stores, and backpacking stores, not to mention many of the large supermarkets in my area. Still, I have to say that the results were worth the running around.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tasty for home and camp, with unique ingredients, August 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Simple Foods for the Pack, Second Edition (Paperback)

I love the oatmeal hotcake recipe in this book. The ingredients can be difficult to find. It does offer alot of veg-friendly meals (which is important to me). The bonus here ... it's meat-free but still with good protein. It does offer menu options and lots of helpful tips ... basic first aid, even natural remedies. It's very much a helpful cookbook with detailed instructions on preparation, including a good list of camp cooking needs. I recommend this, particularly for health conscious eaters and vegetarians.

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple recipes that are easily packed & prepared., February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Simple Foods for the Pack, Second Edition (Paperback)

Having tried these recipes both at home and on the trail, I am very pleased. Well flavored, very generous serving sizes using natural foods that are easily packed and prepared on site. Recipes are usuable for regular one pot cooking, bakepacker cooking and other styles that tease your tastebuds and fill your tummy. Great for backpacking, sea kayaking, canoeing,and for guided trips.