Torrilin

That's the point of the insulated bag or pot cozy. Instead of simmering stuff on the stove, you snuggle your food up in an insulated container, so the boiling water stays hot long enough for things to cook through. Same idea as a crock pot or rice cooker, but *much* lighter. It's really clever.

Presoaking can also help. I intend to do some dry runs at home before my first trip where I cook outside. I tend to cook by feel, and have a mental default of "should serve 3 hungry teenagers". That means I should experiment *before* I make 8 meals worth of lentils and rice and then have no place to store it.

stedalus

Even the soda can stoves work a lot better than you might expect. Make sure you have a windscreen and a pot stand. To cook any pasta-type dish, I put in about 1 oz of alcohol and just let it run until it burns out, and then let it sit for a few minutes, possibly with something insulated wrapped around it. This is enough to get the water boiling for a couple minutes, and then you get a "simmer" as the water slowly cools. Getting a perfect simmer is not necessary for Lipton's and such.

Chuckie J.

That dehydrated water is good drinking! Sometimes I just make it at home, too!

I agree about the couscous. Very flexible. I like those Indian food "Tasty Bites" that you just put in hot water for five minutes or so. Good with rice or couscous and practically no clean up.

Niles H.

Muesli.

No cooking necessary.

Soak a big bowl of quick oats (or rolled oats, or a mix of the two) plus anything you like thrown in. Soak overnight or so -- though the length of time can range from virtually zero (eating immediately) to longer than overnight (fermentation may occur, depending on temps... if this freaks you out, don't do it; if you like to experiment with fermented foods, here's an opportunity...).

Added ingredients that have turned out well: buttermilk, powdered milk, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, honey, dates, currants, different varieties of raisins, maple syrup, bananas (sliced or mashed), cinnamon, cardomom, coriander, mace, nutmeg, clove powder, dried figs, dried plums (watch for pit fragments in supposedly pitted/pit-free dried plums and other fruits), dried cherries, almonds and hazelnuts (whole, chopped, slivered -- raw or toasted), walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, soy nuts, peanuts and peanut butter, and many other spontaneous improvisations. Just toss them in.

You can keep a good-sized pot (lightweight jar or leakproof bowl) going for any meal of the day.