I found this tip in a recent Boys’ Life Magazine my son was reading. I thought it would be a great way to keep an emergency meal available in your car or hunting pack.
You will need:
- An empty juice pouch like the one shown in the picture
- 1/2 cup of instant rice (or small pasta)
- 1/2 teaspoon of chicken or beef bullion granules (about half a cube)
- Wooden cutting board
- Hot iron
Cut the top off the pouch. Rinse it out and let it dry completely. Add rice and chicken or beef bouillon granules. Place the pouch on a hard, heat-proof surface, like a wooden cutting board. Seal the pouch by applying a hot iron to the open end of the pouch for a few seconds. Be sure the seal goes below the straw hole. Allow it to cool, then check to make sure the pouch is sealed. Use a permanent marker to label the contents of the packet.
When you are ready to eat a meal, pour the contents of the pouch into a heat-proof cup or bowl of boiling water, stir and let it set for 3-5 minutes. Do not pour hot water into the pouch! Be creative with other kinds of quick-cooking food. Oatmeal and dried fruit comes to mind, or instant potatoes and seasoning. The trick is to use dry food that cooks quickly in hot water.
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- Cut the pouch below the straw hole.
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- Use an iron to seal the pouch.
Try couscous, a pasta product, combined with a bit of chopped dried mushroom along with some dried oregano and thyme.
Without a doubt this will work. A book I have has 100’s of ideas very similar to this. “Freezer Bag Cooking” or something like that.
You could seal tea bags or instant coffee in the pouch, too.
A vacuum sealer may do the job as well or better than the hot iron for sealing that bag but you’d have to try it. If it works you could also purge the air out prior to sealing.