Bag Omelet
Eggs mixed in a zip bag and set in boiling water. No pan, no scraping, no burnt bits.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 76
- protein
- 28 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 13 min
- total time
- 18 min
- water
- 1500 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Eggs | 5 | cooler-carried, or 6 tbsp whole egg powder plus 3/4 cup water for a shelf-stable version |
|---|---|---|
| Diced ham or cooked bacon | 1/2 cup | shelf-stable canned ham or precooked bacon crumbles both work |
| Red and green bell pepper | 1/2 cup diced | or 3 tbsp dried bell pepper, rehydrated first |
| Onion | 1/4 cup diced | dried onion works, rehydrate with the peppers |
| Mushrooms | 1/3 cup sliced | dried sliced mushrooms rehydrate in five minutes |
| Cheddar cheese | 2 oz shredded | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Quart freezer bag | 1 per serving | freezer weight, not sandwich weight, and not a slider bag |
Method
- Get a pot of water going. You want enough depth that the bags float free rather than sit on the bottom.
- Crack the eggs into a freezer bag. If you are using powder, add the water now.
- Press the air out, seal it, and work the bag with your hands until the eggs are uniform yellow.
- Open the bag, add the ham, vegetables, cheese, salt, and pepper. Press the air out again and seal it tight.
- Lower the bag into water at a low boil. Keep it moving off the pot bottom with a spoon or a stick.
- Give it 12 to 15 minutes. The omelet firms up and pulls away from the plastic when it is done.
- Lift the bag out with the spoon, cut the corner, and roll it onto a plate.
Boiling the bag instead of frying it means the eggs cook by steam at a steady 212F, so they cannot scorch. That matters on a camp stove, where the flame is either off or blasting and nothing in between. It also means the pot stays clean. The water is just a heat bath, and you can reuse it for coffee or dishes.
Use freezer-weight bags. Thin sandwich bags soften and can split at boiling temperature, and slider seals leak. Push all the air out before sealing or the bag balloons and the eggs cook unevenly. The original version leaned on fresh eggs and a cooler; egg powder and dried vegetables get you the same breakfast with nothing that needs to stay cold.
Packing
Dice the peppers, onion, and mushrooms at home and bag them with the ham; that bag rides in the cooler with the eggs and cheese. For a coolerless trip, carry egg powder and dried vegetables and this becomes shelf-stable.
Variations
- Dried vegetables and egg powder turn this into a backpacking breakfast. Rehydrate the vegetables in a little hot water first, then drain and add them.
- A spoonful of salsa or hot sauce added before sealing keeps it from tasting flat.
- Skip the ham and it is vegetarian, though not vegan.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/simple-omelet