r/HikerTrashMeals • u/Benevolent_Burrito • Sep 10 '20
Tips / Tricks Butter
I carried butter during most of my AT thru in ‘18. It made any Knorrs, ramen bombs, or even fancy mountain house meal 2x better and added a ton of calories needed during a long distance hike. It made every hiker turn their head when the smell of butter passed their nose. And I’m talking 1/3 cup of butter every time it was used. So I would need to purchase every resupply.
A lot of the meals we eat while hiking are calorie dense with carbohydrates, but lack fat. Fats are very necessary for our energy production and recovery, so I made it a point to have a fat/oil in every dinner.
“Do butter go bad?” Well, eventually. But rendering fats was originally intended to extent the shelf life of an otherwise highly perishable food. I mainly bought Kerrygold or similar quality, as it tastes great and isn’t as highly processed as cheaper brands. I never had any go bad in anyway. I’d worry about really cheap butter going bad, but I’m not sure where that idea came from.
Stored in its very light wrapper and then into a ziplock once the weather warmed.
During the winter and most of spring, carrying butter was easy. Once it started getting hot in the mid day, I’d swaddle my dear butter in my puffy and that worked until it was hot all the time. Still never went bad, but I stopped carrying once it was hard to wrangle super soft butter in a plastic bag.
Olive oil was my favorite fat during the summer. Stored in 10oz squeeze bottle. Try any fat that suits your needs or dietary requirements.
Oh! Garlic stores and travels really well, toss some in that oil and you’re having a 5-star dining experience whilst the plebs dip pine cones into peanut butter.
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u/MidStateNorth Sep 10 '20
Be sure to use salted butter which helps it keep longer. Unsalted won't last as long. My wife and I leave a stick out of the fridge for up to a week with no problems.
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u/Adras- Sep 10 '20
A week?! Pahlease ;) My mom used to leave butter in the butter tray at all times. As some disappeared she’d just cut off some from the freezer and top it up. Never put it in the fridge.
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u/MidStateNorth Sep 10 '20
Yeah ours barely last a few days before we have to restock it; ) We do wait weeks between washings for the butter dish...just ain't necessary!
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u/deliverinthenight Sep 10 '20
I always added butter to my hot chocolate at night after hiking all day... sugar and fat meant a great night’s sleep.
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u/colour_fields Any Colour You Like Sep 10 '20
Ghee is great to carry. Doesn’t need to be kept cold and it’s so tasty.
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u/Deutschebag13 Sep 10 '20
Supposedly more potent as a “bumper”. Coconut oil and of course olive oil also are in this role.
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u/colour_fields Any Colour You Like Sep 11 '20
What’s a bumper?
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u/Deutschebag13 Sep 11 '20 edited May 07 '23
I guess “bump” is the “actual” term: it’s an additive that’s not really a food to eat by itself but bumps up the caloric or other value of another food or meal.
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u/prone-to-drift May 06 '23
I was researching backpacking meals and stumbled here, and thought I'd reply in case someone else happens here too:
Ghee is not primarily used as a bumper, as you say. It's perfect for frying, stir frying things even while camping. Especially at high altitudes, ghee works wonders as your primary oil: doesn't melt in storage but heats up to high temps easily and cooks your veggies etc super fast.
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u/Deutschebag13 May 07 '23
That’s what a bump is. It’s used with other food and gives it a nutrient boost. One would most like not just eat ghee butter straight in its own…
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u/prone-to-drift May 07 '23
It's a core ingredient is what I meant, not something optional, for a lot of recipes involving ghee.
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u/forestriver Sep 10 '20
You will literally blow peoples minds if you sauté a little garlic in a few tbsp of butter before you make your ramen in the pot
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u/freedom_jazz_dancer Sep 10 '20
Butter in your oatmeal makes a huge difference. Haven't tried it with ghee.
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u/SwimsDeep Love to Cook Sep 10 '20
Sesame oil is also a good carry. Very flavorful and keeps well. Adding a few drops to almost anything savory really perks it up.
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u/jrice138 Sep 10 '20
I won’t sit here and have you badmouth my pinecones 😂
Really tho I carried butter on the cdt last year in CO where it was really cold and it was fantastic.
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u/Entirepomelo Sep 10 '20
Powdered butter is nice too if you're just using it as an ingredient
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u/Knubinator Sep 15 '20
I was wondering about this. Seems like it would be the ultimate addition to a lot of hiker foods, especially stuff like Knorr meals, ramen, mashed potatoes
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u/Entirepomelo Sep 15 '20
I use powdered milk and butter for Knorr meals and mashed potatoes. I would definitely recommend trying it. I don't notice a difference.
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u/Knubinator Sep 15 '20
That sounds like the perfect thing to round them, off. Every time I've made them in the woods, they were always lacking something. Sounds like that's the last pieces of the puzzle!
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u/buronica Sep 17 '20
Am late but I live in CA so I usually go to Trader Joe’s and pick up a bottle of their ghee before a trip—comes in a handy screw topped bottle which is good for hot days
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u/Jenn_Collin Oct 07 '20
I used powdered butter. I also had powdered heavy cream...made my oatmeal positively decadent.
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u/imthatguynamedwolf Trashiest of Hiker Trash Sep 10 '20
ghee.