Foil-Skillet Egg Sandwich
A breakfast sandwich built on a sheet of aluminum foil, with powdered egg standing in for the real thing.
- calories
- 670
- weight
- 7.4 oz
- cal / oz
- 91
- protein
- 33 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Canister stove
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole egg powder | 3 tbsp | rehydrates to about one large egg |
|---|---|---|
| Bagel or English muffin | 1 | split at home so you are not sawing at it in camp |
| Shelf-stable ham | 1 pouch or 2 oz | canned ham or a slice off a sealed block |
| Hard cheese | 1 oz | cheddar or gouda, cut thin |
| Ghee or butter powder | 1 tbsp | ghee does not need a cooler |
| Salt and pepper | a pinch | |
| Aluminum foil | 2 sheets | heavy duty, about a foot each |
Method
- Stir the egg powder into 60 ml of cold water in your mug. Let it sit five minutes or it cooks up grainy.
- Press one sheet of foil over the bottom of your pot to shape a shallow tray with a rim. Set it directly on the grate or on a low bed of coals.
- Smear half the ghee in the tray, pour in the egg, and stir it slowly until it sets. Foil runs hot and thin, so keep it moving.
- Slide the egg onto the second sheet. Lay the ham and cheese in the tray with the rest of the ghee, thirty seconds, until the cheese slumps.
- Toast the cut faces of the bagel on the grate. Watch it, it goes from pale to black fast.
- Stack egg, ham, cheese. Salt it, close it, eat it.
Every part of this is a swap for something that needs a refrigerator. Powdered egg is the one that matters: it rehydrates in five minutes, weighs almost nothing, and scrambles like the real thing as long as you let it hydrate fully before it hits heat. Ghee replaces butter because it keeps at ambient temperature for weeks. Hard cheese and sealed ham do the same job.
The foil tray is the reason this is one sandwich and no dishes. Shaping it over the outside of your pot gives it a rim, which is the difference between a tray and a sheet with egg running off it. Foil conducts fast and has no thermal mass, so cook over coals or a low flame and keep stirring. When you are done, the tray folds into a square and goes in the trash bag.
Packing
Egg powder goes in a small bag portioned per sandwich. Ghee travels in a screw-top jar inside a second bag. Fold the foil flat against the back panel of your pack so it does not shred.
Variations
- Skip the bread and eat the egg, ham, and cheese straight out of the foil as a hash.
- A packet of hot sauce or a spoon of salsa powder cuts the fat.
- Real eggs work fine on a car-camping trip. Carry them in a hard case and use them the first morning.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/activity/recipe_treasure_hunt-2012.asp