MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Crisp Image on May 19, 2011, 09:21:53 PM
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With a trip to Central Aus coming soon we have started trying food that we (and more importantly the kids) will eat.
Well today we tried Deb Mash and surprise peas.
The peas were ok and easily went down well but the Deb was another story.
Now about 28 years ago was the last time I ate this umm glue type substance and I was looking for the bricks to sue this as mortar to hold them together.
Now I ate mine and I found it ok and if I was really hungry would eat it. I did think it would make a great emergency meal while out on a search in the snow or something.
I guess my question tonight is can you improve this stuff or is it what you get.
What other things do people use camping that you don't use at home.
With fruit fly and stuff I was thinking of cooking and then dehydrating my own spuds and then vac pack them or even just cook and pack. Might do that with carrots give them quick blanch then vac-pack then they are cooked and not fresh and should get past border controls.
Some experimenting will happen over the next few weeks I can see that.
Regards
Crisp Image
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Mate,
Camping is supposed to be fun, lay off that stuff
We tend to go for more of the flavoured pasta's & rices etc..nice & easy...brown some meat, boil some water, cook rice etc, stir together easy peasy.
Hem
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Love dried peas, corn and beans ... but hate that tasteless potato stuff with a passion. Akin to eating moist cotton wool. I don't think there is anything one can do to make it edible.
Fresh is best where possible.
Eat what you eat at home and you'll really enjoy the camping experience more. Some things I tend to keep in my pantry are those Man Soups, rice, pasta, cake mixes, lots of herbs and spices (I have a great kit of those) otherwise it's the same things as at home. Vacumn sealers are a terrific thing to stop meat leaking all over the esky and if you marinate your meat first, it's even better! I take packet noodles and use them to do stir fries. Divine!
Kit_e
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we cooked a lot of meals as yo have suggested and vac sealed them. then froze some and just dethawed before we left camp for the day. make sure you just don't vac seal too much, as left overs is hard.
for us, the mash deb lives in the camper, and every time we finish one i restock it.. ;D
dan
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WELL - I TOTALLY disagree. In fact I will even eat Deb at home (Deb is NOT my wife's name!!).
Here is the way I do it - Don't follow their directions to the letter.
First of all a GOOD dollop of butter (or other fake stuff if butter is not on hand), add some black pepper, then add the add water. First, just enough to get it moving. Then add a little more and a little more to get it to the consistency you want it to be.
The other thing I would recommend is try to change your attitude towards it - look at it as something to eat WITH something else. What I mean is, a spoonful of Deb is NEVER going to taste as good as the real stuff but have a half spoonful with something that has flavour. As a side to every spoon or forkful, rather than trying to eat it on it's on.
Try different things with it at home. I LOVE it with baked beans and then grate some cheese over it -YUM!
The other thing is the dried peas and carrots I don't think really work that well unless they're in a stew or curry or something that will give its flavour to the peas and carrots. For me, I prefer the canned peas and corn. Easy to cook, tender and YUM.
Good luck!
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WELL - I TOTALLY disagree. In fact I will even eat Deb at home (Deb is NOT my wife's name!!).
:cheers:
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Do you have a fridge?
We pretty much eat the same as we do at home, even on remote trips. Sometimes depending how remote we might have to go without bread for a few days but other than that, pasta, meat etc etc. Just keep your meat on the bottom of the fridge (if you have one).
If you're going hiking for a few days food needs to change but not touring in a 4wd! Now days we have luxo barges!
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In fact I will even eat Deb at home (Deb is NOT my wife's name!!).
Neighbour?
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Hate to be difficult, but I rather like Deb. Properly prepared, (as outlined above) it's perfectly acceptable. And I understand that you would be very surprised at the number of restaurants which use it all the time. Agreeed, real spuds are better, but in the bush, you need to compromise.
Cheers, Tony
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We use canned vegies.
Tinny Tatters are great and can be used a number of ways. We drain them and cut them up into quarters, put them in the fry pan with garlic, morocon and tuscan herbs. Yummy. We also cut them into halves and put them on a skewer as a kebab, or in a stew. We also wrap them up in foil with butter and put them next to the camp fire - YUMMY! I haven't tried to mash them but there are plenty of other ways you can use them instead of mash. I also tried deb......i have 1 packet in the camper for emergencies but its been there a while now. Deb = Yuk.
I keep canned vegies for stews and dehydrated peas to use as normal peas. I usually purcahse the vegies in indivdual tins (corn, peas, carrots, etc by themselves that way you can have which ever you want and dont have to have the mix. You can also use half a can and refridgerate the rest for tomorrow. We also carry honey so you can still have honey carrots and beans - yummy. Help diguise the "tinned" taste too.
With the canned vegies, i found that the home brand stuff can be a bit ordinary (especially peas). Pay the extra 20c and go edgell or one of those type of brands.
Other food ideas using canned food is those chunky stew in jaffal irons for toasted sanga's.
I keep plenty of tinned pineapple for kebabs or as a extra on a plate as pan fried or bbq'd pineapple.
We also keep flavoured packet pasta and rice - good as a quick side dish.
Hope you get some ideas.
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There is a magee instant mashed potato that is reasonably edible, It's also gluten free. You can pick its not real but it is a good alternative. It's served up in some restaurants and probably most pubs with their meals.
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I do like to carry deb dry potato mix when going camping as it is nice when used as a thickiner for stews and such like.
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WELL - I TOTALLY disagree. In fact I will even eat Deb at home (Deb is NOT my wife's name!!).
So do i .... and her sister...
Actually i make it like this..
Put the deb in a bowl, tip boiling water in it and Wisk with a fork until you find the desired consistency and serve. I never use anything else
When i'm hiking or solo camping i have a quick meat and 3 vedge deb meal that i make. I make it and eat it in a snap lock bag when i'm hiking or billy if in in the car.
You need some cooked meat, canned ham, sausages, anything, cut it into 10mm cubes, put 2 cups of water in a billy and a handful of surprise peas and corn. Soak it cold for 5 min then bring it to the boil. Take it off the heat, add 1 cup of deb, I spoon of French onion soup mix, and the diced meat and stir
There you go. A hearty meal, all you need now is a view.
Darren
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To travel with veg just wrap each peice in newspaperplace in box out of direct sun good to go for 7/10 days then start on the tinned stuff . Cryo vac meat in the bottom of the fridge tinnies on top , 1L milk & butter , cheese etc in fridge as well ,with a good selection of tinned veg to suppliment . All good ; Rice & noodles are great fillers to pad curry . Think outside the box . ;D
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its simple allways make sure you got mobile service and get a pizza delivered ;D
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its simple allways make sure you got mobile service and get a pizza delivered ;D
But Pizzas come in a box and some one said think out side of it.
Anyway all good suggestions. We will be traveling with a 60ltr borrowed fridge so just trying to figure out the best way of packing.
Only about 6 weeks till we go now and I am looking forward to it heaps.
Regards
Crisp Image
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We find cous cous a great, easy accompaniment at home and camping. Basically its just tiny balls of pasta.
At home we use equal volume boiling water to weight of cous cous. Eg 250ml water:250g cous cous.
Pour the boiling water into a bowl, sprinkle the cous cous on top and then stir and fluff with a fork, you can add a dash of oil or butter if you like. At home I would microwave it for 1 minute to make it fluffier but when camping this step is skipped.
Because its so small you don't need to boil it lke normal pasta.
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Ainsley Harriot flavored cous cous is great.
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We find cous cous a great, easy accompaniment at home and camping. Basically its just tiny balls of pasta.
At home we use equal volume boiling water to weight of cous cous. Eg 250ml water:250g cous cous.
Pour the boiling water into a bowl, sprinkle the cous cous on top and then stir and fluff with a fork, you can add a dash of oil or butter if you like. At home I would microwave it for 1 minute to make it fluffier but when camping this step is skipped.
Because its so small you don't need to boil it lke normal pasta.
bugger beat me to it .. was just reading this and was going to say Cous Cous!! is you friend!!!..lol
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Ainsley Harriot flavored cous cous is great.
what does he taste of? where's that :spew: smiley when you need it?
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what does he taste of? where's that :spew: smiley when you need it?
LMBFAO!!!!!
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I'm here to please
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We found the kids HATED the "Deb" Mash, we went on to try the Aldi version of it & the kids love it. Its not gloop & has a very nice buttery taste. I was dead against it until we tried the aldi one, I hate the Deb too so can understand the kids hatred of it.
Aldi mash, with a couple of snags & some onion gravy is an awesome quick meal
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Nothing wrong with Deb potato you just need to add flavour.
when we have use it at work in the field we alway add seaoning butter and I like to chuck Parmesian Cheese in it as well. Making it on milk also improves the flavour. Usually you always need to add a little more extra liquid to make it more like real mash potato otherwise it sets like a brick. It makes excellent tops for pies as well and as already mentioned an excellent thickner for stews etc.
Cheers, Chris :cup:
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MASHED POTATO
A great way to replace the day's energy stores is through good old mashed potato. To prepare, simply cook the potatoes until soft, add salt, pepper & any other spices, as well as milk. Whip in a blender to get the potatoes to a pureed consistency.
Spread on a lightly oiled Solid Sheet in your Ezidri dehydrator & dry for 10-12 hours at 50 deg C (Snackmaker - Medium). The dried potatoes can then be powdered or left as chips.
They are tasty as a dried snack or can be rehydrated wthl milk or water to enjoy with your evening meal!
Recipe courtesy of The Outdoor Gourmet, by Michael Hampton.
But even after this, who really is traveling that long to need to have a tin of deb (pplllaaaakkkkk) to get you through.......
I've even cooked potato until al dente and vak it and then finish with a little water/milk at camp... even that would have to be better than deb???
coming from a chefs POV :angel:
http://www.eziconcepts.com.au
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When I think deb the main thing that comes to mind is a story a good mate of mine told me. A few years back he went camping for about 5 days with a boke who had deb every day and didn't do a No.2 the whole time. Once he got home the bloke would literally have been sh*ting bricks.
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We found the kids HATED the "Deb" Mash, we went on to try the Aldi version of it & the kids love it. Its not gloop & has a very nice buttery taste. I was dead against it until we tried the aldi one, I hate the Deb too so can understand the kids hatred of it.
Aldi mash, with a couple of snags & some onion gravy is an awesome quick meal
So I went shopping today and got some Aldi to try. I did not make it as stated (used about 3/4 of the water)
We all agreed while not perfect it was much better and edible.
Strange how all that works.
Regards
Crisp Image
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We heat up a tin of corn beef and stir it in with the Debs mash for a quick and easy meal.
We also do a fair few rice and pastas in a bag thingys...
Bill and Morag
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We take multiple 1 litre packs of the Paul's long life milk, not to bad a taste and I'm hypersensitive to milk turning. Keep it in the pantry until the night before needed then into the fridge overnight.
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1/. We use 2 minute noodles...mixed with cooked frozen vegies and any meat product...
2/. Canned food, various types, meat and veg etc...from Aldi, good value and filling.
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We always use the roadside F&V stalls & only buy enough for what we need, it's fresher, last's longer, tastes Better & supports the local economy can't remember the last time i had Deb.
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Getting back to your original worry about quarantine regulations with fruit and veg ...
When we can't carry fresh vegetables, I use instant mash (various brands including Deb) and just add the water, etc, until I get the consistency and flavour I like.
The other thing I do is make good thick vegetable soups, freeze in meal-size serves, then cryovac. Some nights just have a bowl of soup then the meat in bread rolls, or wrapped in Mountain Bread instead of ordinary meat & veg meals. Or I stir the instant mash potato through the soup and serve it up as 'bubble & squeak'. You can also throw spoon-fulls of this mixture onto the frypan or BBQ plate to make a kind of hash brown. I told the grandchildren they're "special camping vegetables". It's got it's own flavour, so don't try and compare it to the taste of freshly cooked vegetables. If the children will eat it, it makes an easy meal.
Blanching and then cryovac packing vegetables is also an acceptable way to carry them and not contravene the quarantine regulations. But be guided by your user manual as some vegetables do not keep well packed this way - they give off gases and spoil.
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Why don't you utilise the info available from the Government, by visiting their Domestic Quarantine Website (http://www.quarantinedomestic.gov.au/index.php)? It's what I'd do to be prepared for an interstate trip, which in turn, will help save you money because you don't have to surrender things.
That way you will know exactly what you can and can't take from one state to another, and whether you will need to bother with Deb Potato or anything dried for that matter.
Support the Local communities you visit by Buying Local.
I remember going from NT to WA a few years ago, they even checked my puppies feet for Nagura Burr (?spelling?) and took our fresh herbs and potatoes. If I'd known before I went, what they would take, then we could have eaten more of these items with our meal a night or two before. If your wife is doing a meal plan for the trip, then she'll know what will be required in the pantry before you go and what you need to purchase as you go through towns along the way.
Kit_e
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Check out this site http://easymeals.net.au/
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oh come on .... Deb and creamed rice are the only reasons i go camping . ;D
Craig
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Now, you see, I like my creamed rice ON Deb....
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We heat up a tin of corn beef and stir it in with the Debs mash for a quick and easy meal.
We also do a fair few rice and pastas in a bag thingys...
Bill and Morag
Now that sounds nice.
Bully beef and deb. I'll give that a run
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So I went shopping today and got some Aldi to try. I did not make it as stated (used about 3/4 of the water)
We all agreed while not perfect it was much better and edible.
Strange how all that works.
Regards
Crisp Image
Try with all the water & let it stand for 2 mins. The standing does make a difference.
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"deb does mash" now that sounds like a good title for a mix between a tv series of the korean war and ........
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Kit_e...took your herbs? WTF? I mean, they're not likely to be carrying fruit fly now are they? ???
Sometimes I really wonder if we're living in the same country together...
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Kit_e...took your herbs? WTF? I mean, they're not likely to be carrying fruit fly now are they? ???
Sometimes I really wonder if we're living in the same country together...
We had some chillies and some rosemary or parsley I believe. I think they check your vehicles for Cane Toads now on the WA border. Like we'd be carrying those!! LOL! Yep, just having a (poisonous) cane toad stew for dinner. ;D
Same country ... yes ... same rules never!!
Kit_e
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Yep
WA border is a bit of a pain. We have a camp for work near Timber Creek in the NT.
all refuse contracts are on the NT side. Although it would be cheper to get a contract out of Kununurra you can't transport domestic waste over the border. This also applies for a lot of food stuffs. Fresh produce can come from Kununarra to tTImber Creek however you can't sned back the empties.
You also need to be careful if you are using empty food boxes for storage. You may loose them at the border.
Cheers Chris
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Why don't you utilise the info available from the Government, by visiting their Domestic Quarantine Website (http://www.quarantinedomestic.gov.au/index.php)? It's what I'd do to be prepared for an interstate trip, which in turn, will help save you money because you don't have to surrender things.
Wow! I just checked out that website - I had no idea that there were so many restrictions on crossing borders. We are planning a big trip around Australia and I am sure I would have lost lots of food if I did not know about this (I have kids on restricted diets so most of our food is cooked from fresh ingredients - not much packaged food for this family and definitely no Deb - full of chemicals!) Will have to check out what fresh food is available to purchase just across each border so I can stock up again as soon as we cross each border.
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Just before eating Deb mash stir a little french mustard through, gives deb some zing :cup:
Disco.