Spaghetti as a Survival Food

Joezilla said:
But when you think about it, you can get Indian meal moths and drugstore beetles in rice, but it is hard (albeit not impossible, it does happen) to get a pest in a spaghetti stash.
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It's fairly common but usually only at the source manufacturer. Makers all credit infested shipments and instruct the distributor to destroy them. As a result it is very rare to see here at the retail level.

I wouldn't backpack pasta except for possibly the rice size acini or orzo since they pack small and don't need as big a pot.

Two easy ways to prepare...

The staple of Italian kids is any pasta with butter and cheese. Boil and strain your pasta, melt in some butter or pour some olive oil over it and sprinkle on some parmigiana.

The late night favorite is "aglio e olio" garlic and oil. While you boil your pasta chop a couple of garlic cloves and heat them in a fry pan with olive oil until they just begin to turn color. Drain the pasta and dump it into the hot fry pan with the oil and garlic. Coat the pasta and plate it. Do not use any cheese. (if you happen to have some crawdad tails, shrimp, scallops add them to the garlic and oil)
 
vector001 said:
spaghetti is a no-go for me.

it needs alot of fuel and water, and the water goes to waste, or you have to apply it to something else. some buddy can enlighten me to what that might be, preferrably in a realistic sense.
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You could add in the other ingredients and flour into the water - but you would probably have to drain at least half the water first, so you would still get wastage. If you were camping near mountains with fresh & safe water available from streams then it shouldn't be a problem. If water will be limited then it is best to choose another food option. There is nothing wrong with considering the situation when choosing the food you will take.
 
vector001 said:
and the water goes to waste, or you have to apply it to something else. some buddy can enlighten me to what that might be, preferrably in a realistic sense.
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If you have a container to pour it into you can use it to wash your dishes...or rinse your clothes.

It's only starch that remains in the water so your t-shirts, under ware, or socks would press really well.
 
I am going to pack some macaroni up right now. Get some natural seasonings and you are good to go.
 
vector001 said:
spaghetti is a no-go for me.

it needs alot of fuel and water, and the water goes to waste, or you have to apply it to something else. some buddy can enlighten me to what that might be, preferrably in a realistic sense.

ramen comes in a lot of flavors, and can be found in a spaghetti-like flavors or you can improvise them, and i believe it is much-higher in calories, and you use all the water that you cook with.


pre-cooking the spaghetti at home or in main camp, as i think has been mentioned, might be good to have some variety on the first day or two of your treks, in a non-emergency movement.

if you have an abundance of time, water, and fuel, by all means, bring the regular pasta.


i'll stick to rice, ramen, crackers, and oatmeal as low-volume-high-calorie squirrel extenders.... :cool::thumbup:

HTH.

vec
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You forgot instant gritz or smashed taters.
I carry those quite a bit. They are quick.
A big bowl of grits and some packet tuna will fill you right up.A little dried parmigiana, some onion flakes. good to go !
We have something here tht is a bit like RiceAroni that is almost edible, with a couple of packets of soy sauce " borrowed" from the local Chinese joint.
 
Old CW4 said:
I can't recall seeing spaghetti mentioned as a handy/dandy survival ration in this section of the site. Why not? As a widower I do my own cooking and usually make spaghetti two or three times a month. It's quick, tasty with many variations such as meat, cheese, sauces, etc. Also high in calories, and should store uncooked for ages with little deterioration. I've got a 13.25 ounce box of 'Barilla whole grain' here on my desk as I'm typing this. The box says it has 1400 calories total or a bit more than 100 cals per ounce. That's right up there with peanut butter, trail mix, and other 'survival' foods. All you need to make a batch is water and a little salt, then mix in whatever else you like. I even have leftover spaghetti for breakfast once in a while. A bit of olive oil in a frying pan and then the spaghetti. When it gets hot, break and mix a couple of eggs and pour over it. Turn it in sections to incorporate the eggs, then form it into a nice brown sort of 'cake' in the pan. Real tasty and hearty. Any comments or am I out to lunch with this one?
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I really like this thread, as this is a great idea. What i like about this is that it is something that is quickly and easily available. I think it's very smart that when we talk about survival foods we focus not only on mre's or high end freeze dried products you're likely to find in the pack of someone climbing everest. I'm sure these are great products but given the unpredictable and inconvenient way survival situations tend to occur :rolleyes: my thinking is it's more intelligent and practical to focus on items your likely to find at your local grocery store. And spaghetti is an easily obtainable very lightweight and compact way of carrying protein.I usually focus on carrying jerky and ramen in my pack, but I think I'll include spaghetti also now as it would be something I could use to turn a packet of ramen into a much larger meal. 5 stars:thumbup:
 
Ok its not pasta and I have never tried this but a "viet nam vet, survivalist, the liberals are coming to get me type" told me one time he kept big boxes of minute rice in his stores. He said you could throw a handfull of min. rice in a plastic bag with some water put it next to your bare chest, if you were on the run, and it would cook up from body heat and walking action.
 
Super, guys! I dig the remarks about minute rice, grits, macaroni, powdered mashed potatos, etc. All excellent. That was my intent, get us thinking about what's on the shelf in the local store with high calories, 'keepability,' and easy to cook/carry/store/serve/eat. As for water and fuel to cook spaghetti, even though I live in high desert here in western NM with damned scanty annual rainfall, I can always find water and plenty of fuel from dense scrub brush, dried animal droppings, etc. Also, I want to add, a folded up cardboard box lined with foil becomes a solar cooker in minutes. I can boil six quarts of water PDQ with such a solar cooking box in mid day which, BTW, should be a part of everyone's survival gear. Also works to pruify water. Put a two liter plastic bottle of water in the 'concentration' area of a foil lined solar box, let the water hit 140 plus for a couple of hours, and you have something safe to drink. Now that I'm into this area, I've also seen little mentioned about solar cooking. Comments, please. Just think, no smoke, no fuel to gather, and so on.
 
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Old CW4 said:
Super, guys! I dig the remarks about . . . powdered mashed potatos . . .
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That is something that I normally take camping - I have found a cheesy mashed potato product that is quite nice with nothing but boiling water added. This is a very easy food to make and is high in carbohydrates/energy. Potato also beats rice & pasta for filling you up for less calories, that means you will tend to feel fuller & happier with potato than most other foods. Not having to have milk, butter, salt & pepper really makes life easier for W&S use - quick and simple is not vital or a deal breaker, but it helps. It is also a useful feature that you only need to boil the water, you don't have to keep it boiling for 8 minutes (or whatever). You also only need to mix in as much water as you will be consuming - no wastage. I would consider powdered mashed potatoes a near perfect food as long as you like eating it.
 
Were those "Magic Grits"? Do the laws of physics not apply in your kitchen?

Back on topic: I've had good luck with those packaged Lipton noodle dishes. You need only two cups of water and none gets thrown out.

DancesWithKnives
 
Old CW4 said:
Super, guys! I dig the remarks about minute rice, grits, macaroni, powdered mashed potatos, etc. All excellent. That was my intent, get us thinking about what's on the shelf in the local store with high calories, 'keepability,' and easy to cook/carry/store/serve/eat. As for water and fuel to cook spaghetti, even though I live in high desert here in western NM with damned scanty annual rainfall, I can always find water and plenty of fuel from dense scrub brush, dried animal droppings, etc. Also, I want to add, a folded up cardboard box lined with foil becomes a solar cooker in minutes. I can boil six quarts of water PDQ with such a solar cooking box in mid day which, BTW, should be a part of everyone's survival gear. Also works to pruify water. Put a two liter plastic bottle of water in the 'concentration' area of a foil lined solar box, let the water hit 140 plus for a couple of hours, and you have something safe to drink. Now that I'm into this area, I've also seen little mentioned about solar cooking. Comments, please. Just think, no smoke, no fuel to gather, and so on.
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six quarts in one day is pretty good for a box solar cooker. let's see your stuff, brother.

cardboard boxes also make great steamers, if you can waste them, or they are a found item, etc.

vec
 
Love to eat spaghetti in the mountains.
Water used to boil spaghetti is stored to make soup or tea.

I carry sauces I made at home in ziplocks.
 
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