The quantity of liquid (either water or water and milk combined) varies depending on the dish, but is usually from 1.5 cups (355 ml) to 2 cups (473 ml). Varieties that are listed as "creamy" or have a type of cheese in the title usually call for milk to be added in the directions. I have found that I can use water when milk is called for and still end up with a very edible meal in the backcountry. I've never tried adding powdered milk to the mix, due to the added weight. Many dishes also list 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) of oil as an optional ingredient. I usually go without the oil, as I've tried it with and without oil at home, and didn't notice a difference in the flavor or texture.

Typical cooking directions state to bring the called for liquid(s) to a boil, add the contents of the package, and simmer for a period of time. The teriyaki dishes both call for 7 minutes of simmering time. After the stated period of simmering, the directions call for the food to sit for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken.

I've never tried cooking the side dishes using the "freezer bag" method of adding boiling water to the mix and letting stand (well insulated) for a period of time. On online backpacking websites, I've read that this method does not work too well with most of the Lipton side dishes. If a particular dish looks like it is rehydrating nicely, I'll cut the simmering short a minute or two to save a bit of fuel, but for the most part I stick with the directions.

Although the Lipton side dishes are not marketed as backpacking food, they have several qualities that lend themselves to being good food for me to bring along on a hike. The side dishes are inexpensive, available at almost any grocery store (and even the stores at Windego and Rock Harbor on Isle Royale!), have a weight and volume that is reasonable to me, are easy to prepare, and most importantly they taste good. Although Lipton does not provide an MSRP for the side dishes, I can usually find them at a local grocery store for approximately $1.25 (US) each. I have to admit that the teriyaki dishes are a personal favorite of my husband and me. In my experience, any side dish that looks like it should taste good (according to my food preferences) has proved to be so. Personal preference and common sence directs me when selecting particular varieties to take backpacking.

The varieties that I have brought along on backpacking trips include (but are not limited to):
Teriyaki Rice
Teriyaki Noodles
Garlic Butter Rice
Creamy Garlic Pasta
Cheddar Broccoli Noodles
Cheesy Cheddar Noodles
Cheddar Broccoli Rice

One side dish, along with a little instant applesauce or other snack, makes a nice hot lunch on the trail for my husband and me. A side dish - possibly with freeze-dried chicken, turkey, or beef added - along with fry bread (similar to pancakes) or mashed potatoes and a dessert makes a good dinner for the two of us. We will snack frequently while hiking, so when dinnertime rolls around we're usually hungry but not famished. I think that the overall "volume" provided by a side dish is roughly the same as a 2-person freeze-dried meal.

On a recent 12-night trek, Lipton side dishes were one of our staple foods for lunch and dinner. We had also brought along some just-add-hot-water freeze-dried backpacker meals, and some homemade meals. Near the end of the trip we were getting to be finicky eaters, and could barely finish off our last two freeze-dried meals. Although there were times that the Lipton side dishes didn't sound like the most appealing meal at the time, once cooked we had no problem finishing off the dish. Some dishes did benefit from the addition of a spice mix that I had brought (for my fry bread) that consists primarily of granulated garlic.

When we are going on a shorter trip, I will usually leave the side dishes in the package they come in, since the percentage of extraneous air inside the package is relatively small. When going on longer treks, I will repackage the food into zip top bags, and cut out the instructions for the particular variety and toss that inside the plastic bag.

Some potential drawbacks to the Lipton side dishes are that they require more fuel consumption than meals requiring only boiling water, they leave a bit of mess in the cooking pot, and that they are not designed to provide backpackers with balanced nutrition. For me, the benefits of the side dishes outweigh the drawbacks. Our food preferences dictate that we're going to be heavy on fuel consumption, and we have accepted this fact and plan around it. When cleaning up after the side dishes, I can usually scrape and eat almost all the food out of the cooking pot, and the clean-up typically requires the use of one or two facial tissues that I bring along in the 'travel-size" packs. We also take care to provide ourselves with meals that are as nutritionally balanced as possible, and take supplemental vitamins to help fill in the voids.

Reviews > Food > Packaged Meals > Lipton Side Dishes > Owner Review by Rebecca Stacy