I grew up with an inherent love and appreciation for food.  I knew how to deglaze a pan with wine long before I was supposed to actually drink it.  I’m already sleeping outside with bugs and beasts and all manner of unpleasant things, and then on top of that you want me to eat rehydrated food alternative out of a tin foil bag?  This seems like insult added right to that injury.

However, Emily and Billy were adamant that this was an essential part of backpacking.  Seriously, stop ganging up on me!  It wasn’t until I hiked six miles and 2,000 feet up into the wild with 50 pounds on my back that I realized I should probably find something in the ‘light food’ category that I could stomach.  Or learn how to affect a paradigm shift in myself taking food from an instrument of pleasure to a delivery of fuel…ew.

Normally, the challenge for a gourmet backpacking food would be a comparison against the highly processed concoctions you find at any outdoor store.  However, in this case, they are trying to convert someone who is seriously debating taking up some form of exercise torture, like CrossFit, just so they can hike in real food.  Billy dropped off four different meals of one of his favorite dehydrated food brands, Good To Go.  Week one, we would hike it into the Marble Mountains and try it in the field.  Week two, we would deliver to one of our favorite chefs, Jim Vereb of CR Gibbs, with a challenge to use these and things available in the wild to craft a dinner party.

First, let’s look at Good To Go.  It was created by a chef unimpressed by the offerings of dehydrated food in the backcountry.  This looks promising.  The ingredient list looks to contain mostly “real food”.  Her decisions seem pretty solid…all vegetarian (rehydrated meat of any kind irks me), food with a little bit of kick (curry and chili to distract and wow our taste buds), and healthy choices like olive oil and no preservatives (the outdoors is not a great place for a bellyache).  Though their salt content is high compared to what might be on our plates at home, it is low compared to the other offerings which are relying on heavy salt to preserve and make goo palatable.  So far, I am intrigued, especially by the fact that they are really trying not to create gut bombs with no nutritional value (my main argument against ramen).

First up, the crowd favorite, Thai Curry.  This bag nailed it!  Even with broccoli, my least favorite veggie, I loved it!  If you are one of those odd souls who just doesn’t like coconut, it is easy to remove and it still delivers without that delicious layer of flavor.  Add a slab of flatbread and it feels like a bonafide, eat on a plate, meal.  I would scarf this down even if I hadn’t just traversed miles to sleep in a tent.  A huge win for Good To Go right out of the gate.

So, now comes the fun part.  What did our chef do with it?  He used the coconut milk powder and worked up a vinaigrette for a delicious salad of arugula, clover, fresh green figs, blackberries, marigolds, toasted pine nuts and a little bit of balsamic.  Ok, so this one isn’t really tied to the food bag, but we needed a salad and it is pretty!

Jim felt the curry could stand on its own.  He used the rest of the bag as a base for a simply seasoned ling cod, topped with mango balsamic reduction and micro greens.  As with most of the packets, he threw them in the oven to dry out and firm-up for plating and enjoyment.  Both of these dishes were spot on.  Bravo!

Next up pasta, the gold standard in the backcountry, Classic Marinara with Penne.  Full disclosure, I am not a fan of marinara unless I am in Italy or my dad spent a day making it from scratch.  This one was ok.  I liked the mouthfeel of pasta after a hard day hiking, but the sauce just didn’t wow me.  And it seemed like we had a lot of sauce left in the bag, so Dan, our photographer extraordinaire, ended up partaking in some tomato soup.  If I were to take this out again I would throw a little parmesan cheese into my bag, maybe some black pepper, and a few sliced green olives for more variety in my bites.

Jim didn’t like the idea of a basic pasta dish in his gourmet line-up, so he ended up blending the entire package and using it as a sauce base for a roasted zucchini, squash, and pine nut ratatouille.  Which he topped with grilled elk backstrap.  A splash of au jus and he rounded out this dish with a punch of salt and elky goodness.  Mmmm…

Then came the green bag, Smoke Three Bean Chili.  I had such high hopes for this offering.  Beans are a brilliant choice for reconstitution and chili and cumin can really mask a lot.  Maybe it is my Portuguese side, or my California upbringing, but it just didn’t have the kick I was expecting from a chili.  Overall, it was very palatable and I am guessing they pulled the spice back for the majority of the market that probably wouldn’t consume jalapenos and debate ordering hot from an Indian restaurant.  However, I’d throw some fancy chili powder and extra cumin in my bag to heat this up, and if it was early in the trip cilantro, cheese, and/or crushed tortilla chips would help round it out.

Lastly, the Herbed Mushroom Risotto.  We kind of ruined this one with too much water on the trail.  I swear we followed the directions…probably.  The perils of elevation change and outdoor variables may have screwed us.  Again, great choices, mushrooms can pack a lot of layered flavor in the dehydrated form.  Jim stated that it was better than some risotto he has tried in the kitchen by cooks, so that’s a win.  This is another one I might consider bringing some extra parmesan cheese, and if I really wanted to add some punch, truffle oil.

Jim combined the risotto and the chili into one really interesting dish.  He took the chili and added sourdough, shallots and venison salami, then used it as stuffing for quail.  He served this atop the risotto with a blackberry balsamic sauce.  Gorgeous and tasty!

Overall, the Good To Go line up was something I am more likely to grab at the store than the Chili Mac and Gumbo foil bags I have seen out there.  In fact, I have already ordered the Thai Curry in large quantities.  It isn’t going to compete with fresh ingredients, and it isn’t quite fair to compare them as such.  However, with a few tweaks, I think I might be able to commit to more dehydrated meals.

Written by Jes

Photos by Dan

goodto-go.com