Kevin Callan is a wonderfully funny Canadian author and paddler. Recently he launched a video piece called Cooking with Kevin — Curry Couscous. Not only is it a great recipe, it’s fun to watch. Kevin is entertaining, as always. I have to laugh at the comments about the MSR Dragonfly. Still, it’s my stove of choice too.

The mandoline has to be one of the most indispensable kitchen gadgets, aside from a food dehydrator, when it comes to preparing foods to be dried for the trail.

What is a mandoline? I’m sure the word conjurs up visions of a beautifully crafted musical instrument. A mandoline is an adjustable slicer that allows you to create slices of varying thicknesses or to julienne. It’s especially wonderful for slicing fruit and veggies that you will dehydrate. There are a few reasons that such a slicer works well for this application. First of all, it creates very uniform slices which make for even drying. Secondly, it is speedy and can reduce time in the kitchen.

There are many models of these slicers on the market ranging in price from $20 to $200 dollars. I recommend buying the best you can afford. I prefer a model made of metal as opposed to a less expensive plastic model.

A mandoline is the perfect tool for any cook who is creating their own dehydrated backpacking foods. It’s also great for slicing cucumbers and radishes for summer salads.

Back when the Outback Oven first came out I started using muffin mixes from the store or my own homemade creations. The only problem was that I would end up something shaped more like a cake than a muffin. A couple years ago I found individual silicone muffin cups and they work fabulously with the Outback Oven.  I’ve found other great baking ideas for them as well. Best of all they are lightweight. I prefer the type that don’t have the silly little feet as they weigh a little less and they are less bulky.

I’m also working on a new muffin recipe for my second cookbook so I was testing it on the wilderness trip I have just returned from. It required an Outback Oven but there were 5 of us so it wasn’t a big deal. Two of the group usually solo, so instead of taking 3 fulls sets of kitchen gear we split up the gear list a little bit. The recipe made 10 muffins which was great for the group but next time I will reduce the recipe size and make each muffin a bit larger too.

Here are some photos (one with the silicone muffin cups and one that was taken after I removed them).