Thermos Soup
Cooked at home, carried hot, eaten on a ridge in a snowstorm.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 10 oz
- cal / oz
- 48
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- No cook
- Winter / snow
- Day hike
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Day one only
- Basic
Ingredients
| Hearty soup or stew | 2 cups | lentil, chicken and rice, or chili all work |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | stirred in at the end for calories |
| Vacuum thermos | 1 | 16 to 20 oz, pre-heated |
Method
- Fill the thermos with boiling water and let it stand five minutes, then dump it. A cold thermos loses most of the heat in the first hour.
- Bring the soup to a full boil at home, not just hot.
- Pour it in, seal immediately, and do not open it until you are eating.
- A good thermos holds serving temperature for six to eight hours. A cheap one holds it for two.
Winter day hiking has a real problem: stopping to cook means standing still in the cold with bare hands on a stove, and most people just skip lunch instead. A thermos removes the decision entirely.
This is the one recipe here with a hard shelf life. It is a day-one meal by definition, and it does not belong on an overnight trip.
Packing
Thermos goes upright in the middle of the pack, insulated by clothing on all sides. Against the back panel it cools noticeably faster.
Variations
- Sweet potato and peanut stew, which is calorie dense and holds heat well.
- Half soup and half instant couscous poured in dry, which finishes cooking in the thermos.