Specific Question, 2016 Cooking Requirement 5(d)

[T2Eagle]

I couldn't get a new topic started so I figured I'd Lazarus this one for my question.

 

In the 2016 MB Requirements 5(d) says:

 

"In the outdoors, using your menu plans for this requirement, cook two of the five meals you planned using either a lightweight stove or a low-impact fire. Use a different cooking method from requirement 3 for each meal. You must also cook a third meal using either a Dutch oven OR a foil pack OR kabobs. Serve all of these meals to your patrol or a group of youth."

 

How do you folks interpret that?  Does that mean A, five hot meals: two of them on fires or lightweight stoves, one kabob/foilpack/DO, and then two using any method to cook?  Or does that mean B, three hot meals as specified and then the other two can be either hot or cold?

 

I am in favor of A, because we use Coleman stoves on about two thirds of our trips and I want to see the scouts preparing fully cooked meals using the equipment we most often use.

[John-in-KC]

Cook 2 of five.  That sounds like TWO.  Use a different technique for each.  That sounds like broil for one (campfire), casserole/soup the other (or other method)

 

Cook a third meal using DO, foil pack, or kabob.  That is clearly another hot meal.

 

Three meals, hot.  I see nothing that says execute the other two that were planned.

 

Reading Requirement 5 from scouting dot org, the plain language equates to 3 meals and a dessert OR snack.

[John-in-KC]

Moderator's Note:

 

New topic split off from old.

[Stosh]

Would have been nice to bring over the comments, too.

[T2Eagle]

Thanks KC for setting up the new topic. A follow up question, if three meals is the minimum number, would anyone consider a two burner Coleman a "lightweight stove?"  Normally I would not, but looking at the MB Pamphlet and at the requirements for 6. Trail and Backpacking Meals, there seems to be a distinction between "lightweight" stoves and "trail" stoves. 

[Hedgehog]

Thanks KC for setting up the new topic. A follow up question, if three meals is the minimum number, would anyone consider a two burner Coleman a "lightweight stove?"  Normally I would not, but looking at the MB Pamphlet and at the requirements for 6. Trail and Backpacking Meals, there seems to be a distinction between "lightweight" stoves and "trail" stoves. 

 

 

The Coleman two burner stove is a lightweight stove (when compared to the four burner electric Kennmore version with the oven below it).  The trail stoves are the MSRs or Snow Peak stoves that are 4 inches by 2 inches.

[meyerc13]

If you compare a modern two burner Coleman white gas to a vintage three burner, the two burner is lightweight.  If you compare a two burner propane to either of those, it is very lightweight.

[Stosh]

I have a 2-burner Coleman white gas that can go the propane route too.  When judging weight of the stoves, one also needs to calculate in the weight of the fuel and fuel canisters as well.

[DuctTape]

When one looks at the spirit of the changes, themes emerge. One being a distinction between cooking at home, at camp and on the trail. The requirements should, imo, be interpreted to give the boys the experience in all 3 aspects. If one interpretation allows a scout to skip "trail cooking" then, imo, this violates the spirit. A camp stove while lighter than ones kitchen stove is not a trail stove. A fire can be used at camp and on trail, and shows the most skill. Some areas fires are forbidden, thus only a lightweight trail stove must be used. Imo, this is not a 2 burner coleman, those stoves are for at camp not the trail. My 2 cents.

[DuctTape]

I missed the question was about the camp cooking, not the trail cooking. My apologies.

[T2Eagle]

Thanks for all the replies.  I think I have been misinterpreting; I was requiring five hot meals, two of them on backpacking stoves.  I think the requirement can be met by cooking three meals, either over a fire or on a camp stove, using three different specified methods.

 

This means on a normal weekend a scout cooking for his patrol should be able to complete the requirement.

[Hedgehog]

Thanks for all the replies.  I think I have been misinterpreting; I was requiring five hot meals, two of them on backpacking stoves.  I think the requirement can be met by cooking three meals, either over a fire or on a camp stove, using three different specified methods.

 

This means on a normal weekend a scout cooking for his patrol should be able to complete the requirement.

 

 

Don't feel bad.... I had the same question when I started as a MBC for cooking.  It took me a while to figure out that what I consider a "lightweight" stove (i.e. an MSR Pocket Rocket) is not the same as the BSA's definition (i.e. a Coleman two burner) because a "lightweight" stove has to be different than an "approved trail stove" used for the backpacking or trail meals.

[Stosh]

Still kinda befuddles me how a cooking MB requirement for 5 meals would include 40% of them not cooking.  Maybe it's like Driver's Education where 40% of the work is walking and riding a bike rather than driving the car.

[TAHAWK]

Cooking would seem to require cooking.  Then again, Google "salad cookbook" and get over 17,000,000 hits. 0___0

[Hedgehog]

Still kinda befuddles me how a cooking MB requirement for 5 meals would include 40% of them not cooking.  Maybe it's like Driver's Education where 40% of the work is walking and riding a bike rather than driving the car.

 

 

Stosh:

 

It is actually 4 out of 5.  The five meals would be for a weekend campout and would typically be a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner and a second breakfast.  The menu and shopping list is for the five meals..  However, you only have to prepare four of the meals: 2 using a lightweight stove or low impact fire, 1 using a dutch oven, foil, kabobs, etc. and then 1 dessert or snack which is "prepared" but not necessarily cooked (i.e. application of heat to ingredients).  It makes sense to cook a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner and a dessert and not repeat the breakfast.  My guys do bteakfast on a Coleman stove, lunch over a fire, dinner with dutch ovens and foil (wits sides cooked on a stove) and desserts in a dutch oven.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Hedgehog