While you can always get a frying pan attachment, the JetBoil system excels at boiling water very quickly and efficiently. Some people say the JetBoil is useless for anything outside of boiling water to make things like oatmeal, pasta, and couscous. These people just haven’t approached it with the right degree of creativity.

Think of all the things you can make with boiling water! You can boil eggs, make soup, and prepare tafelspitz — or try out these recipes that use some prepared foods you can easily find at the grocery and carry with you when you’re backpacking.

Breakfast

Cheesy Grits

Instant Grits

Shelf-Stable Cheddar Cheese

Bacon Bits or shelf-stable Bacon

Heat the desired amount of water to boiling for the amount of grits you want via the directions on the packet. Stir in grits and then add cheese and bacon and stir till combined.

Eggs And Potatoes

Egg

Instant Mashed Potatoes

Shelf-Stable Cheese

Crack your eggs into a freezer bag or cooking pouch and scramble. Boil bag in water till egg is cooked. Measure out desired amount of instant mashed potatoes and appropriate amount of water, combine and let sit for a minute or so. Combine all ingredients together.

Lunch

Chicken Casserole

1 can cooked white meat chicken

Shelf Stable Parmesan

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Instant Mashed Potatoes

Dump your chicken into the JetBoil without draining it and heat till warm, stirring while the burner is on. Add the appropriate amount of water for the mashed potatoes and heat. Stir in mashed potatoes and seasonings and let sit, covered, for a few minutes.

Tuna Carrot Casserole

1 Packet Tuna

1 Large Carrot, sliced thin

Egg Noodles

1/2 Onion

2 packets mayo

French Fried Onions

Boil water and cook egg noodles until tender, dump out most of the water but leave some. Add in carrot and onion and heat until fragrant, stirring continuously. Once water is evaporated, add in tuna and mayo and combine. Top with crunchy french fried onions.

Dinner

Taco Chicken Wraps

1 can white meat chicken

Taco Seasoning

tortillas

avocado

tomato

freeze dried corn

Add corn into JetBoil and cover with water, bring to a boil. Dump out the water. Drain chicken and add to cup. Add taco seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, until warm. Serve on tortillas with slices of avocado and tomatoes.

Pizza Pot

Couscous

Shelf-Stable Parmesan Cheese

String Mozzarella

Shelf-Stable Pepperoni

Tomato Sauce

Italian Seasoning Packet

Cook couscous as directed. When it gets to the find stage when the couscous is resting and absorbing the water, add in everything else on the top to heat it. After a few minutes, stir to combine.

The best part about all of these recipes is they’re great for a multi-day hike because all of them involve foods that don’t need refrigeration. There are tons of resources out there for freeze-dried food recipes that will give mileage to your JetBoil. With a little planning and experimentation, you could make almost anything with a JetBoil.