Keeping food longer

spuki · Nov 14, 2011

Our solution was a Portable Refrigerator Freezer from WAECO. It can be a freezer or a fridge, and runs on DC or AC. Once it is cooled down power requirements are pretty low. In the past we tried dry ice, blocks of ice, and blocks of ice with salt. Now we just use the WECO without all the hassle. My second choice would be a very well insulated ice box with blocks of ice. You still need to carry food that does not require refrigeration. Many things can last a long time. Eggs can be kept for weeks by turning them and keeping them in as cool as possible a place on the boat. You need to test them for gas build up by checking to make sure they don't float in water. Good eggs sink. Most supermarkets sell the milk that does not need refrigeration until it is opened. If you buy the more expensive smaller cartons, you don't need refrigeration for that either, since you use what you open.

Gunni · Nov 14, 2011

We store fresh vegetables in brown paper bags. They breathe and restrict sunlight, providing an amazing long shelf life. Root crops and cabbage store really well. Rig a few nylon camping hammocks in the cabin to suspend the food. Tomatoes, leaf-crops, melons, fresh breads do well that way. Dried fruits can quickly be reconstituted with boiling water. Beer and wine love a cool bilge. Good beer tastes fine at bilge temps. Vacuum-packed meats, originally frozen, will last much longer even as they thaw. Especially if pickled with some fresh lime juice. Learn to fish.

spuki · Nov 14, 2011

When it comes to perishable liquids there maybe a future alternative. A product called Milkshield is being tested. Check out Milkshield.com.

WayneH · Nov 14, 2011

This is when I wish the wife was online here. She plans meals prior to launch, precooks some things, seals them up with a vacuum sealer and freezes them. They then become part of your ice supply during the trip. And they reduce the waterr usage, also.

Like breakfast of pancakes, bacon and hot coffee and tea. (She likes tea.) While the pancakes are cooking, boil the bacon in it's sealed bag to reheat it. Use the boiling wter to make coffee and tea and any left over water is used to clean up.

We've done week long cruises in a 21 footer this way and still had ice in gallon jugs when we returned.

Using a "Day cooler" means you only get into the main cooler once a day and preserve your ice supply by not letting hot air in 5 or 6 times a day.

ufdiver · Nov 14, 2011

Here's what works for us on long trips.
1) Block ice, it's cheap ($3-5 per block) and last a long time.
2) Plan and pack meals in order of use. This way what you need for that day will be on top.
3) Place drinks and common use items in a separate cooler. It makes them easier to get to and limits the ice box exposure for your spoilables.
4) Turn your ice box into a electric freezer! For our last trip, I took the lid off of a 12v cooler (similar to this one http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_089v000000000P25P ) and mounted the lid in a Styrofoam holder that fit the icebox opening. This kept things insulated and cold. Just plug the 12v cord into and outlet and you're ready to go. The blocks of ice will keep things cold and the cooler will keep the ice blocks frozen for a long time. The best part was, once we got back, I was able to put the cooler back together. The cooler I used came from Walmart and the cooling system lived in the top. I was able to pop the top off the cooler with no modifications needed. The cooler was about $50.. not sure if they still sell the model I used. We'd just run it for a few hours a day, during the hottest parts of the day.

spuki · Nov 14, 2011

12 volt cooler on ice box

Say, that's a good one! We still have our Coleman cooler that lowers temperatures by 40 degrees. It is not practical here in Florida in the summer by itself, but it certainly should extend the life of your ice blocks when adapted to the ice box.

ufdiver said:
Here's what works for us on long trips.
1) Block ice, it's cheap ($3-5 per block) and last a long time.
2) Plan and pack meals in order of use. This way what you need for that day will be on top.
3) Place drinks and common use items in a separate cooler. It makes them easier to get to and limits the ice box exposure for your spoilables.
4) Turn your ice box into a electric freezer! For our last trip, I took the lid off of a 12v cooler (similar to this one http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_089v000000000P25P ) and mounted the lid in a Styrofoam holder that fit the icebox opening. This kept things insulated and cold. Just plug the 12v cord into and outlet and you're ready to go. The blocks of ice will keep things cold and the cooler will keep the ice blocks frozen for a long time. The best part was, once we got back, I was able to put the cooler back together. The cooler I used came from Walmart and the cooling system lived in the top. I was able to pop the top off the cooler with no modifications needed. The cooler was about $50.. not sure if they still sell the model I used. We'd just run it for a few hours a day, during the hottest parts of the day.

RECESS · Nov 14, 2011

We have gone a different route now. We use a college refrigerator and our Honda EU2000. Run it for a hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. We still keep large 2 liters ofice in it to buffer and still pick up froxen gallons of water along the way.

bananabender56 · Nov 14, 2011

We vacuum packed fresh meat and it does last - also reduces the space taken up. The vegetables were a different story - bought special bags from WestMarine which did keep the veges longer, forget the name. We also precooked while in port and vacuum bagged that for freezing. For ice blocks we've used the bladders from wine casks - you can make them any shape you want

Ross · Nov 14, 2011

The more you learn about cooking the easier it gets to provision. The foods that we use on the boat are the foods that we use at home.

All U Get · Nov 14, 2011

On our Catalina 30 we added insulation around the ice box and did all the above. Our newer Pearson is set up for long trips with a refrig and freezer so food will keep. In one of the cook books found aboard it suggested rubbing tomatoes with vegie oil to keep them longer. We tried it with some from our garden and they lasted well into the third week, (sorry we ate them). I can't remember the book's name, but it had a chapter on provisioning multiplying weeks with crew onboard.
All U Get

paul1938 · Nov 15, 2011

Re: Helps alot....

When using dry ice remember that it is CO2, which is heavier than air. Make sure that you have air movement through the boat.

Ross · Nov 15, 2011

Re: Helps alot....

Canning makes food last for two or three years with no ice. If you would buy canned meat there is no reason not to can your own.

Peppercorn · Nov 16, 2011

My sailing life is only one year old but in years past I really enjoyed spending a week to ten days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. You cannot take cans or bottles into this area so we relied on freeze dried foods. Honestly they are gourmet quality but will use water. They require no refrigeration and will last years.

Ross · Nov 16, 2011

The problem with canning jars is that they require just as much room empty as full. The problem with people is that they have a compulsion to discard any empty package even if they have carried it around for a week.
A boat with two dozen assorted canning jars and an 8 quart pressure cooker/canner could buy and preserve food for as long as they had access to a store.

Winkfish · Nov 16, 2011

Gunni said:
Learn to fish.

I like the way you think, Gunni.

Duke · Nov 20, 2011

Ross said:
The problem with canning jars is that they require just as much room empty as full. The problem with people is that they have a compulsion to discard any empty package even if they have carried it around for a week.
A boat with two dozen assorted canning jars and an 8 quart pressure cooker/canner could buy and preserve food for as long as they had access to a store.

Carrying / storing canning jars can be a pain. But, I look at it as maintaining a dedicated food storage space just as maintaining space for those seldom used, but possibly needed spare parts, supplies for first-aid and emergency repairs, even the entertainment items like books, videos, etc. Prioritizing, planning, organization, this is work and can take a lot of the fun out of our sailing, but is part of the adventure for me and the admiral. As far as carrying a 8 qt. pressure cooker for us it is too big. To minimize food waste, we use a 4 qt. PC to prepare pint and half pint jars that store just enough for a meal for two persons. Also, for one pot meals the PC is fuel efficient.

I have to admit I do not like the taste of the off-the-shelf canned meals. I like the taste of what I cook much better, plus when I do the PC food prep, know what is in the jars.

Okay, now that I have beat the drum for PC's, I will admit we also carry some of the off-the shelf meals for convenience. (Plus, the admiral doesn't always like my cooking as much as I do.)

Ross · Nov 20, 2011

The minimum size for a valid pressure canner requires that you can close the lid on four quarts and ensure that you can maintain 10 psi at sea level.