Newsletter

Topic:  COOKING IN A BAGGIE

Cooking foods such as soups in a plastic baggie would seem impossible. It would seem ridiculous to apply heat to a thin plastic bag without destroying it. Yet as strange as this may seem, the baggie not only acts as a suitable container for food storage, but it also makes a suitable cook pot. I recommend carrying two one gallon freezer type baggies in your survival kit. These freezer type storage containers are made of a thicker plastic than their counterpart, the lightweight and  conventional storage bags.

The sequence of photos shown describe the necessary steps to cook in a baggie. If a container of some sort is available to support your baggie when it is full of water then by all means use it. If none are available then a hole dug in the ground offers the needed support to hold the baggie in a vertical position. The size of this hole should be only large enough to hold bag in a secure upright position. The next few steps are easy enough to follow. first locate approximately 6 to 10 golf ball size rocks, these rocks should be smooth. Wash the rocks thoroughly in clean water. This is necessary to remove any dirt or mud. Now start a hardwood fire and let the fire burn to a bed of hot coals. keep this fire strong by adding wood until you have an abundance of hot coals. Use a blow tube as shown in photo to direct air into fire. this will increase temperature considerably. Add your golf ball size rocks to fire and let them sit in hot coals. After 20 minutes or so, remove the rocks one at a time and add them to your water filled baggie. Use green sticks to remove rocks from fire. Cut a flat end on each stick , this will help greatly in holding rocks in place. Be sure your baggie already contains the appropriate amount of water and your chosen ingredients for your soup.

Be very careful when handling these rocks, DO NOT touch them with your hands. These rocks will be extremely hot. Under most conditions, about six of these rocks added to soup mix will normally bring solution to a boil. Be careful, as these rocks will stay hot a very long time, When you believe the rock has lost most of its cooking heat,add another, and so on. Only a few medium size rocks will bring water too a very high temperature. If you happen to have aluminum foil in your survival kit, then insert a folded piece in bottom of the baggie, this will be helpful in the prevention of holes from sharp rocks. A layer of Dandelion leaves will also perform same function. Your baggie is worthless if it becomes punctured or torn. I have used two

of these freezer type plastic bags at the same time. Insert on inside of the other, add a small amount of water between the two. then fill the inner baggie with your soup mix and water. I once had some doubt as to whether this would actually work the first time I tried it. But it does work. Our minds tell us that the hot rock will destroy the thin plastic. As of yet, I have never melted or burned a hole in the baggie. Although I have punctured one. My recommendation is to use the smoothest rocks you can find. Always avoid creek bed rocks. The internal pressure from steam will cause rock to crack and many times actually explode. Rocks are pourous and will absorb water. When these rocks are heated, steam builds up internally and in many cases, causing them to explode.. Good luck on this method of food preparation. The lowly baggie may not be the best cook pot, but then again its not the worst by far. TC