Cruise and eat well on a small boat

[Joe11688]

For those of you who tire of eating sandwiches on your boat every time you go cruising, it doesn't have to be that way. Here are two of my favorite cooking utensils. One of them is a Stanley Ovenette cir. 1950's which also was made by West Bend Co. The other utensil is a Burton Stove-Top Grill, which is still being made today. Both the stove-top oven and the stove-top grill can be found in thrift stores and yard sales. A good stove-top grill should have an Aluminum dome and preferably, the ring should be made of Stainless steel, but if the ring is made of plain steel, it will work great as long as the dome is made of Aluminum and not steel. These grills are not only great for hot dogs and steak, but they're fantastic for making toast. Just add a 1/4 cup of water in the ring and use a medium flame. The stove-top oven needs a wire trivet to set a 10" pan on so that the food doesn't get burned. I try to attain medium heat in the oven, then I turn the flame down from high to medium on my Origo stove before I heat up food from home or bake muffins and such. We've baked just about everything imaginable in our stove-top oven from turkey wings, baked stuff fish, to cakes, and muffins. A lot of times I'll pack my ice chest with left over pork chops, steak, or anything from home that I can heat up in my oven on the boat. A couple of months ago, I picked up a stainless steel Cameron's Smoker in a Salvation Army Thrift store for $7.00. I plan on smoking Blue Fish with it on my boat. I'll probably have to move the stove and do that out in the cockpit though.
Bon Apetite!
Joe

 

[sailingdog]

I have a Magma Newport mounted on the stern rail if I want to grill. Much better than a stove top grill IMHO.

 

[captain cajun]

Like the idea of cooking on the boat, however the wife is worry about a fire. I don't have any rail in the back to hook up a grill. I thought I could make something to protect the cockpit and use a stove. What's your opinions?

don

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

It's possible to prepare almost any meal aboard if you do all the advance prep at home. And storage isn't a problem on a small boat if you take only what you'll eat. I've taken 5 course meals for 4 aboard an airplane in a box that fit under the seat when I've joined friends to go sailing on the Bay. All that was needed aboard was a grill to cook the meat and steam the veggies in foil. -0- cleanup except tableware.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Like the idea of cooking on the boat, however the wife is worry about a fire. I don't have any rail in the back to hook up a grill.

They make grill mounts that are bolted onto the hull or transom. You just need to be able to get to the inside to install the backing plate. If you can't do that, install a rod holder in the gunwale...they make mounts for those too.

 

[sailingdog]

I'd also add that keeping the heat out of the cabin in the summer is a good idea... That's why my grill gets a lot more use than the stove does. The stove rocks for breakfast and coffee on those chilly mornings...but the rest of the time, most of the cooking is veggies, burgers, steaks, fish, shrimp, ribs, and such on the BBQ.

 

[Doug J]

I too have a Magma Newport that I mount on my stern rail, seems like you can cook just about anything in there! As Peggie allready mentioned, you can mount a grill in a rod holder if you don't have a rail.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Nice "Oven" idea.

Thanks Joe, being able to bake on a two-burner Origo is a big deal. My boat has not had a real oven for over ten years, replaced with a dorm fridge. And your oven idea could be used out there on the Magma grill just as easily as on the Origo I guess. Now to find one of those ovens. My crewmate in the Erie Canal had some success baking on the Magma with a covered pot but hard not to burn the bottom. I too grill on the rail mostly, weather permitting.

 

[Bill Roosa]

BBQ question

I've had the propane grill mounted on the stern rail and I could never get anything to really cook on it. The wind seems to blow the heat out between the grill lip and the grill grate. I tried all kinds of wind breaks to include the lid like the manual suggests but to no success. Even with the lid on (limited success) it just did not seem to get food very hot.
And just plain forget it while underway. Almost lost a pot the first time I tried.

How do you get the food to cook on these things?
Also, if I have to leave the lid on to get results, how do you cook anything that requires a pot?

 

[captain cajun]

Re: BBQ question

Joe, you come up with the best posts, of what I seem to need to know about, hmmm, mind reading. No, not possible. Fair winds Thanks to you all, for the all this information. Now to go talk to the wife about what you people told me to do. <grin>

don

 

[sailingdog]

I haven't had any problems getting stuff to cook on mine. If anything, the flame is too hot some of the time, even turned down. Which grill do you have? Also, cooking while underway is not generally recommended on a leadmine, since the heeling will cause problems for the grill. BTW, my grill is mounted so that it is tipped slightly outboard, so that the food tends to roll to the back of the grill rather than off the front of the grill. I find that helps a lot, but my boat doesn't heel like yours does.

I've had the propane grill mounted on the stern rail and I could never get anything to really cook on it. The wind seems to blow the heat out between the grill lip and the grill grate. I tried all kinds of wind breaks to include the lid like the manual suggests but to no success. Even with the lid on (limited success) it just did not seem to get food very hot.
And just plain forget it while underway. Almost lost a pot the first time I tried.

How do you get the food to cook on these things?
Also, if I have to leave the lid on to get results, how do you cook anything that requires a pot?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Bill, have to agree with 'dog about the grill. Problem is they burn too hot and cook too fast if you are not careful. Cannot imagine what could be causing your problem. Mine is the large Magma, the round one.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Cookies while under sail

Saildog, yea yea yea your boat don't tilt. Very impressive! Mine turns itself right way up all by itself. How bout yours ?
I had the magma round one.

When asked "what is good in life" there have been several answers depending on who you ask. For me;

The smell of coffee in the morning while underway
The taste of fresh baked oatmeal cookies when approaching anchor
and the first mate coming up the companionway in her "tinsy winsy, itsy bitsy, bikini with fresh baked bread, butter and a two beers.

All these are not possible with a grill IMHO but are easy in an oven.

 

[sailingdog]

Bill, just remember your boat has a position of ultimate stability as well—sitting upright on the bottom of the ocean... Personally, I'd rather be on an upside down multihull breathing air, than a rightside up monohull trying to breathe water. Don't forget that if your keel falls off, bad things happen too.

BTW, how do you make coffee in an OVEN??? You must have some very interesting coffee making techniques.

Saildog, yea yea yea your boat don't tilt. Very impressive! Mine turns itself right way up all by itself. How bout yours ?
I had the magma round one.

When asked "what is good in life" there have been several answers depending on who you ask. For me;

The smell of coffee in the morning while underway
The taste of fresh baked oatmeal cookies when approaching anchor
and the first mate coming up the companionway in her "tinsy winsy, itsy bitsy, bikini with fresh baked bread, butter and a two beers.

All these are not possible with a grill IMHO but are easy in an oven.

 

[Joe11688]

I have a Magma Newport mounted on the stern rail if I want to grill. Much better than a stove top grill IMHO.

I thought of buying one of those, but they're too large and bulky on a 22' boat, and I'd rather do my grilling inside on rainy days. The Magma grills are pretty nice, though. A couple of our club members have them and use them all the time. Years ago, the Warfinger on Cuttyhunk Island wouldn't allow any boats to stay on a slip with one of those on board. They had to take them off their boat and place them in a pile on land if they wanted to dock their boats. I don't know if it's still that way. I haven't been back there in years. He had a lot of rules back then like no loud boom boxes, no jet skis, and no liquor too, I think.
Joe

 

[Joe11688]

Thanks Joe, being able to bake on a two-burner Origo is a big deal. My boat has not had a real oven for over ten years, replaced with a dorm fridge. And your oven idea could be used out there on the Magma grill just as easily as on the Origo I guess. Now to find one of those ovens. My crewmate in the Erie Canal had some success baking on the Magma with a covered pot but hard not to burn the bottom. I too grill on the rail mostly, weather permitting.

Ed,
I found my first Stanley Ovenette in a thrift shop in Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard, years ago back in the early 90's. I guess that it probably came out of a cottage that only had gas burners in the kitchen and no oven. When I first looked at it, I thought it was a metal cake container, then I saw the temperature gauge and I knew right off what it was. They were only asking $2.00 for it, so I scooped it up and have been using one ever since. I've since found four more of these in yard sales and other thrift stores. I've given away at least two of them to close friends. The stove-top oven does throw a lot of heat, but it's not too bad on a hot day with the hatches open. The stove-top grill throws less heat in my cabin than my tea kettle, and that's an absolute fact. I found a stainless steel stove-top grill with the aluminum cooking dome about three months ago in a large Salvation Army Thrift Store in Seekonk Ma., for $4.00. I gave to my my friend Wayne and he's going to use it on his Orego boat stove on his Seaward 22. He got real jeolous when he saw me cooking on mine, and he asked me to pick him up one. So all I can say to you is, keep your eyes peeled for them and you'll find them. They're out there.
Joe

 

[Benny]

You can keep your Stanley Ovenette and stove top grill. The most versatile pot on a boat is a pressure cooker. From breads to stews, from beans to roasts cooked fast and efficiently. For dogs I use a cast iron griddle which sits above the burners and they have to be accompanied by onions and chilli.

 

[Allan R]

To each his own, whatever works for each individual is the way to go. But I will say the Stanley Ovenette seems a bit on the pricy side $249 @ Pronto, the $2.00 was a fantastic buy.

 

[Joe11688]

To each his own, whatever works for each individual is the way to go. But I will say the Stanley Ovenette seems a bit on the pricy side $249 @ Pronto, the $2.00 was a fantastic buy.

Allan,
I had no idea that Stanley made electric Ovenettes. You're right though. I wouldn't pay that kind of money for it either. Besides, where would you plug it in on a small boat? The last Stanley Ovenette that I found was in a yard sale in my home town, for $6.00. It came with three different shaped 10" cake pans, a funny looking tall trivet, and seven small Aluminum cup cake tins that fit nicely in one of the 10" cake pans with straight sides. This is the one that I'm using on my boat now. I also found a West Bend Ovenette and the parts were interchangeable with the Stanley. You're right though. It's all a matter of preference. Myself Now; I'm not too keen on having a grill on my stern rail close to my outboard engine, fuel line, and a 6 gal. gasoline tank in the fuel compartment. I'll never forget the day that an I/O Star craft cabin cruiser blew up while I was standing on the dock not more than 60' away from it. The shrapnel from the windshield hit me right in back of my neck. The guy was standing in the cockpit and he jumped overboard. He had his boat tied up next to mine and his wife was standing on the dock talking to him when it happened. I thank God that the wind was coming up the river in the right direction or I would have lost my boat. I was able to run and untie my boat and get it out of there before it got burnt. I had just had new Thurston sails made for her. Oddly enough, his boat got some damage, but the boat being made of aluminum saved it, plus the fact that a quick thinking off duty cop ran down there with a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. The boat owner and his wife later became good friends of mine. They own a cottage next to our yacht club and now reside in Pennsylvania. Bad stuff, that gasoline!
Joe

 

[Joe11688]

You can keep your Stanley Ovenette and stove top grill. The most versatile pot on a boat is a pressure cooker. From breads to stews, from beans to roasts cooked fast and efficiently. For dogs I use a cast iron griddle which sits above the burners and they have to be accompanied by onions and chilli.

I keep a Presto Pressure Cooker on board my boat too Benny, and they're fast and great for cooking meats and stews, but you can burn yourself real easy trying to bake with it because you need to reach inside sometimes to get the food out. I love my pressure cooker for making lentil stews at home, but I rarely ever use it on my boat anymore since I got my Stanley Ovenette. So, this year I may leave it at home in my closet.
Joe