So, imho, sushi rice with furikake, sesame oil, soy sauce and some veggies from the last town would be the perfect camp food. Light, quick, tasty, decent amount of carbs and oil… if it would work. So far, my only successful try is depicted in the picture, with several tries leading to hungry nights and hours of pot scrubbing. I tried the standard rice cooker method of one fingertip of water over the rice and medium heat until the water is boiling, however, the rice tends to stick to the titanium and burn immediately. Washing the rice is also difficult when not camping next to water.
What’s your experience? Do you have a secret trick?
by ulla_h
6 Comments
Titanium does conduct heat worse than aluminum and steel, thus the risk of burning stuff due to hotspots is higher.
I prefer not to do stuff prone to burn in titanium
I rely on instant noodles etc that can cook in boiled water. Bring the water to a boil before adding the ingredients, then keep the stove on at a low level while cooking
I avoid cooking anything that will leave a mess in my pot. Generally just use it to boil water to cook pasta. Add the sauce to the pasta once it is in my bowl. This way the pot is relatively clean to boil water for morning coffee and/or oatmeal.
get a keith multi cooker titanium . [https://a.co/d/hRRXIgz](https://a.co/d/hRRXIgz) have one, love it! It acts like a double boiler so the rice doesn’t burn/stick in the pot. It’s extra weight. I also bring my 1 liter titanium mug for stir frying/sautéing veggies. There are youtube vids on the keith multi cooker too, you can cook other stuff than rice. Like lentils or soaked beans. With the Keith, bring the water to a boil so you see the steam coming out the top, then reduce to a simmer. White rice takes 10-15 minutes of simmering. YOu’ll find it harder to burn stuff, if anything, you’re more likely to overcook and make things mushy. I’ve steamed broccoli, carrots and other stuff with it too.
I use a primus omni stove, so I can just use gasoline for cooking fuel. Proper white gas doesn’t clog as quick, but they give you a tool with a tiny wire thing to clean things as needed. When car camping, i just leave it assembled, but when bikepacking I remove the pump from the fuel bottle each time, which is a PITA.
Despite its good taste and versatility, rice is towards the bottom of my list of backcountry carbs. It takes quite a bit more water and fuel to cook, and like you’ve found it can be finicky and difficult to clean up.
Couscous is the king of cooked carbs as it requires a minimal amount of water and only requires enough fuel to bring the water to a boil. It also packs more densely and has more protein than white rice. Polenta is good too but it needs more water than couscous and isn’t quite as versatile. I’d even choose pasta/noodles over rice personally.
If you’re gonna cook rice like that you probably need to wash it in lots of water to reduce the starch. You’d be better off heating up rice which is intended for microwaving.