Touring - Polenta?

Anyone cook polenta on the road? And how do you do it with one of those stoves that is more blowtorch than simmer? We bought the polenta and then I started reading the directions (clever, eh?), which advise slowly cooking and stirring for 1/2 hour....

Try the instant polenta. Only the most discerning palate can tell the difference.

It's not nearly as fussy as cookbooks/directions seem to want you to believe. Just get it boiling, stir until thickened. A little olive oil or butter and some grated cheese are nice when it's done. I haven't tried it, but I'd bet that if it was stirred into water thoroughly and left to sit for a while before putting it on the boil, it would be done in no time. I've also got to experiment with bringing it to a boil, stirring, then wrapping it in a pot cozy for 20 mins.

I've also got to experiment with bringing it to a boil, stirring, then wrapping it in a pot cozy for 20 mins.Once you get it to a boil, you could also try letting it sit in a food thermos. Just remember to pre-heat the thermos before you put food in there.

--J

A lot of grains cook up quicker if soaked in the cooking liquid overnight. You get nearly the convenience of instant products, with the nutritional benefits of the whole grain. You could put polenta and water into a zip lock bag in the morning and slosh it around on the bike all day and cook up quickly for dinner. Or put in the pot overnight and just heat in the morning. I haven't tried this but I doubt it would take more than 10-12 min to cook that way.

Well, we tried the 'easy method' and to our amazement it was just fine! What happens if you cook this stuff for 1/2 hour? At 5 minutes, it seems fine to us. We love it, with a curry over it's tops. Italian-Thai fusion food anyone?