I am a guy that enjoys cooking as much as I do eating and for many years I have enjoyed the boating life (powerboating and now sailboating) and camping on smaller boats (less than 30ft)... I call it camping because it isn’t “living aboard”, but only staying aboard for long weekends or extended holidays and vacations, which may be also be called cruising, but on a small boat its still camping as opposed to the relative luxury of a larger, more spacious boats.... I also like my time spent cooking when camping out in the wilderness, using camp stoves, dutch ovens, or the fire pit in the ground.... but again, even though I call it camping, I still like my hard plates, real silverware and glasses and mugs, but the plates, bowls, glasses and mugs are quality hard plastic as I’m not a fan of glass aboard the boat when there are other options....
And as much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen at home, or in camp, creating a tasty meal, I find that long drawn out cooking sessions on the boat to be less than pleasurable and never desirable, even though the creations can be as good...
I think it is because of the lack of space to work in and counter space to lay things out... and the lack of a large sink or tubs to do dishes in and the lack of enough cooler space....and in addition, the lack of availability of ice when aboard the boat.
I am not one to follow a recipe too closely anyway, but I have seen many recipe books that were written for campers and boaters and almost all of them have fairly complex recipes with their many ingredients and seasonings needed to complete the dish. I find trying to cook these meals is just overwhelming on a small boat, no matter if I’m camping on it or cruising, and I cant imagine cooking would be any easier for someone who is trying to live aboard a smaller boat....
I know there are some people who enjoy the challenge of complex meals created in such a small area, or feel there is nothing better to do than fill their time cooking, but I have found that the simpler the recipe, the better it usually is.... and im a guy that likes good food.
It would be difficult to do without the cook stove, but a quality BBQ grill is a galley cooks best friend.... quick, simple and tasty cooking with a minimum of prep and clean up.
I feel most of these boating cookbooks were written by someone who considers a 40ft boat to be a "small" boat, and all things being relative, it is a small boat, but boats under 30 feet are a lot smaller and usually dont have the amenities to carry such a nicely stocked galley.... trailerable boats are even more sparse on galley and food storage accommodations.
being able to carry and store the foods purchased so that they dont spoil is one of the hardest things to do on a small boat, and when we shop, the storage of an item is the first consideration before it goes into the shopping cart. If it wont keep in a dry box, or submerged in melted ice water, it wont be found in our cart. We don’t buy fresh meat unless it will be cooked the same day. Milk has to be in the plastic jug with a sealable lid, no paper cartons. We dont want to take any chance that the melted ice water in the ice chest will become contaminated by a leaking package of anything!...
So for most boaters in the under 30' class, it is not practical to have a full well stocked galley, with the fresh ingredients a person needs to cook like they would at home, and in most instances, I dont believe it is any cheaper to stock a small boat that way than it is to buy all prepackaged foods.
There would be many trips to the store for restocking and the menu would be more dictated by the food items that are starting to wilt, or getting ready to turn and needs to be used, rather than what the taste buds call for today.
In todays markets there is such a selection of precooked and vacuum packaged meals than do not need to be frozen, that a small quantity of fresh vegetables to enhance the preparation is all that is really needed to have great table fare at every meal.
We use a lot of the hormel entrees, and now safeway has several different types of the vacuum sealed entrees. Safeway also has the fresh soups, and the tomato bisque is excellent with any type of seafood added to it, to make something like a cioppino....very tasty. We also use a lot of instant mashed potato’s, instant rice, and the freeze dried meals like costco carries, as well as canned vegetables and fruit (and dried fruit) and boxed food such as rice-a-roni, mac-n-cheese, and top ramen.
There are many other foods like this that keep very well and can be prepared in different combinations to make very satisfying meals in a few minutes time
Fresh fruits and veggies can be eaten raw or added to something else during cooking to enhance it, and only your imagination is the limiting factor on what can be created with a very minimum of preparation involved in it...
I have boated, camped and backpacked all my life and have learned that in some instances, the larger, bigger and better and more options you have, the more difficult the task can be, and yet at the same time to go simple and minimalistic can also be challenging, but there is a spot somewhere in between that is relatively easy and will allow for a relaxed and efficient method of getting things done, and there is almost always an easier way to do things if we could only watch and see how other people complete the same task and then adjust or hone our own methods to what works better.....
if you have any exceptionally simple and tasty recipes, or tips that make time spent in the galley (cooking, storing food, washing dishes, trash disposal and storage) more efficient or pleasurable, im sure there are some folks like me that would enjoy hearing about your experiences and/or methods...
And as much as I enjoy spending time in the kitchen at home, or in camp, creating a tasty meal, I find that long drawn out cooking sessions on the boat to be less than pleasurable and never desirable, even though the creations can be as good...
I think it is because of the lack of space to work in and counter space to lay things out... and the lack of a large sink or tubs to do dishes in and the lack of enough cooler space....and in addition, the lack of availability of ice when aboard the boat.
I am not one to follow a recipe too closely anyway, but I have seen many recipe books that were written for campers and boaters and almost all of them have fairly complex recipes with their many ingredients and seasonings needed to complete the dish. I find trying to cook these meals is just overwhelming on a small boat, no matter if I’m camping on it or cruising, and I cant imagine cooking would be any easier for someone who is trying to live aboard a smaller boat....
I know there are some people who enjoy the challenge of complex meals created in such a small area, or feel there is nothing better to do than fill their time cooking, but I have found that the simpler the recipe, the better it usually is.... and im a guy that likes good food.
It would be difficult to do without the cook stove, but a quality BBQ grill is a galley cooks best friend.... quick, simple and tasty cooking with a minimum of prep and clean up.
I feel most of these boating cookbooks were written by someone who considers a 40ft boat to be a "small" boat, and all things being relative, it is a small boat, but boats under 30 feet are a lot smaller and usually dont have the amenities to carry such a nicely stocked galley.... trailerable boats are even more sparse on galley and food storage accommodations.
being able to carry and store the foods purchased so that they dont spoil is one of the hardest things to do on a small boat, and when we shop, the storage of an item is the first consideration before it goes into the shopping cart. If it wont keep in a dry box, or submerged in melted ice water, it wont be found in our cart. We don’t buy fresh meat unless it will be cooked the same day. Milk has to be in the plastic jug with a sealable lid, no paper cartons. We dont want to take any chance that the melted ice water in the ice chest will become contaminated by a leaking package of anything!...
So for most boaters in the under 30' class, it is not practical to have a full well stocked galley, with the fresh ingredients a person needs to cook like they would at home, and in most instances, I dont believe it is any cheaper to stock a small boat that way than it is to buy all prepackaged foods.
There would be many trips to the store for restocking and the menu would be more dictated by the food items that are starting to wilt, or getting ready to turn and needs to be used, rather than what the taste buds call for today.
In todays markets there is such a selection of precooked and vacuum packaged meals than do not need to be frozen, that a small quantity of fresh vegetables to enhance the preparation is all that is really needed to have great table fare at every meal.
We use a lot of the hormel entrees, and now safeway has several different types of the vacuum sealed entrees. Safeway also has the fresh soups, and the tomato bisque is excellent with any type of seafood added to it, to make something like a cioppino....very tasty. We also use a lot of instant mashed potato’s, instant rice, and the freeze dried meals like costco carries, as well as canned vegetables and fruit (and dried fruit) and boxed food such as rice-a-roni, mac-n-cheese, and top ramen.
There are many other foods like this that keep very well and can be prepared in different combinations to make very satisfying meals in a few minutes time
Fresh fruits and veggies can be eaten raw or added to something else during cooking to enhance it, and only your imagination is the limiting factor on what can be created with a very minimum of preparation involved in it...
I have boated, camped and backpacked all my life and have learned that in some instances, the larger, bigger and better and more options you have, the more difficult the task can be, and yet at the same time to go simple and minimalistic can also be challenging, but there is a spot somewhere in between that is relatively easy and will allow for a relaxed and efficient method of getting things done, and there is almost always an easier way to do things if we could only watch and see how other people complete the same task and then adjust or hone our own methods to what works better.....
if you have any exceptionally simple and tasty recipes, or tips that make time spent in the galley (cooking, storing food, washing dishes, trash disposal and storage) more efficient or pleasurable, im sure there are some folks like me that would enjoy hearing about your experiences and/or methods...
