Omelet in a Bag
Powdered egg, dried vegetables, and cheese cooked in a bag dropped in simmering water. No pan to scrub.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 3.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 169
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 700 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
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Whole egg powder | 1/3 cup | about three eggs |
|---|---|---|
| Cold water | 1/3 cup | for the egg powder, separate from the pot |
| Dried bell pepper and onion | 3 tbsp total | |
| Sun-dried tomato | 1 tbsp | chopped small at home |
| Hard cheese | 1 oz | cheddar or parmesan, grated |
| Shelf-stable ham or bacon crumbles | 1 oz | the sealed pouch kind, not deli |
| Olive oil | 1 tsp | |
| Hot sauce, salt, pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the dried vegetables and tomato in the bag with 2 tbsp of the cold water. Let them sit while the pot heats.
- Get a pot of water to a simmer, not a hard rolling boil. Hard boil beats the bag against the pot.
- Stir the egg powder into the bag with the rest of the water until there are no dry pockets. Add the ham, cheese, and oil.
- Press the air out, seal the bag, and lower it into the simmering water. Keep the seal above the waterline.
- Six to eight minutes. Push the bag around once or twice so the egg does not set in one lump at the bottom.
- Lift it out with a spoon handle, open carefully, and hit it with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Eat out of the bag.
The original wants a fresh egg, a fridge, and a cutting board. None of that travels. Whole egg powder rehydrated in the bag does the same job at a fraction of the weight, and dried peppers and onion soften in the two minutes it takes the pot to come up.
Simmer, not boil. A rolling boil knocks the bag against the pot wall and thins the plastic where it touches metal. The bag is doing the cooking and the dishes at the same time, which is the whole reason for the method.
Packing
Egg powder, dried vegetables, ham, and cheese go into one heavy-duty freezer bag at home. Carry the oil in a dropper bottle. A purpose-made boil-in-bag is worth the weight if you make this often.
Variations
- Instant potato flakes, a tablespoon at a time, turn a runny bag into something closer to a scramble.
- Skip the meat and cheese and the bag holds fine on its own, but you lose most of the calories.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/omlete-in-a-bag