14 days at sea 3 blokes one woman - food/kitchen must haves

[Mickeyrouse]

One of the best books I’ve ever seen on the topic is Lin Pardey’s “ Care and Feeding of the Offshore Crew.” It’s been a few years since, but a used copy is likely available. More than just a meal planner, it also touches on her philosphy of provisioning. She should know- been around the world a couple times (biggest boat- 29 ft.) plus extensive further cruising and writing on the cruising life over the last 55 years. I can’t can’t say enough about her and her writing.

[JPA Cate]

In Australia, the Easi-yo yoghurt maker is easy to clean and use. We like the Greek yoghurt best. You can make it from scratch, too, using the milk powder, and a tablespoon of the preceding batch of yoghurt for the lactobacilli.

What Wotname wrote, is correct. Forgot to mentiion having the cabbage stem up. I guess the newspaper (with all those horrid chemicals in the ink) does the same sort of drying job as the salt. Don't know the chemistry of it, really, just followed hints from other cruisers.

Nikki, thanks for the thank you. You're most welcome.
Incidentally, I have some recipes for quick sausage, based on pork mince and dried herbs and spices: Italian, American breakfast sausage, and Chorizo. Happy to share if someone is interested. And of course you could make sausage rolls. Bake them in a heavy skillet with a lid.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by NikkiC

Hit me with your must haves in the kitchen.

I have a feeling, being the woman, I will most likely be in charge of a majority of the meals. I've already bought 14 freeze dried family size portion dinners which I intend to expand with rice. The probably will taste average but better than 14 days of rice and beans.

I've a feeling that much of this thread has put the mainsail afore the jib.

By which I mean:

1) at which airport are you (and the rest of the crew) entering Republic of the Philippines?

You've only a few choices:

a. Ninoy Aquino International, Metro Manila
b. Mactan-Cebu International, in Metro Cebu
c. Clark International, near Angeles City and not that far from Metro Manila
d. Francisco Bangoy International, Davao City
e. Puerto Princesa International, in PP.

2) from which port are you exiting?

3) at which town or city are you provisioning? Where do you intend to shop?

4) Have you checked CIQ restrictions on entry to the Philippines?

5) what cooking gear is on board - electric rice cooker? LPG BBQ?

6) what refrigeration and storage are available?

I've lived (and worked) in the Philippines (but close to 30 years ago) and provisioned in and sailed in and out of two ports there.

In all my air travel into RP, I never carried foodstuff into the Philippines. I certainly never attempted to carry what sounds close to a commercial quantity of any foodstuff (14 family meals plus a few more).

You are sure to be able to buy a 5 kg or 110 kg sack of white rice most anywhere in the Philippines. Wheaten noodles, rice noodles, and bean noodles are also almost everywhere (but your choices are better in a bigger city than a small village).

White rice and noodles are staples in RP. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and a variety of yams (eg yam bean/sengkuang) are also available.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by miketo

Agree with GBN. Everyone rotates deck duty, everyone rotates galley duty, everyone rotates cleanup duty, everyone rotates head duty. Hard and fast rule before you leave the dock. If the guys "don't want to," then this isn't a trip you want to be on. And I say that as a guy. No room for princesses on a long-distance trip.

As for foodstuffs, have a selection of easy-to-digest snacks available for the first few days, as well as on- or off-watch munchies. Saltines, trail mix, peanut butter, etc.

No dairy-based stuff except for cheese; it spoils too quickly. Had a trip where the cook served cream-based tortellini first night out and it was a poor choice for tummies not acclimated to sea state.

UHT milk and cream last for months without refrigeration.

Agree avoid excessive fats for 72 hours ( and beforehand , but chicken a la crème can’t be beaten !)

[NikkiC]

@Marathon1150 - the tequila reduction for the crossing. Love it.

@MvWeebles I might take one of those yopro make your own yoghurt sachets.... luggage is starting to look tight.

[NikkiC]

@Alan Almighty,

Thank you for you comments. Being from Australia, where quarantine is +++ strict, I am always aware of import issues. You can take up to 10kg of processed food into the Philippines.

https://www.philippine-embassy.org.s...e-philippines/

Considering they are freeze dried meals and weigh roughly .44 kg each this easily falls below the 10kg mark, even more so when I am flying in with 3 other people. There is zero issue.

I expect I wouldn't be able to source the quality of meals I have bought (despite being freeze dried they are premium). I believe there will be a rice cooker, kettle and possibly induction cooker and bbq on board. Hopefully a chest freezer possibly a fridge.

I've just reached out to an old nursing buddy who has family in the Philippines and I am more looking for food advice rather than interrogation. The captain has the logistics sorted. I am just the cook/nurse.

Nik

[NikkiC]

@MickeyRouse - thanks for the book tip. I've just bought it on kindle and will speed read!

[jalmberg]

We just crossed the Atlantic, 29 days from the US to Azores, then 2 weeks from Azores to France. We ate very well and easily by canning (before we left) a variety of meals in Mason jars, using a large pressure canner.

Basically, I would make up a large batch of stew, or curry, or bolognaise sauce -- enough to fill about 14 pint-size jars. Then I would process them in the pressure canner. Once processed, they don't require any refrigeration, and last at least a year, probably 2 or 3 if properly stored.

Making a delicious meal was a matter of opening a jar (good for two people, normally), and adding a starch, like rice or pasta, plus a veg while the fresh veg lasted.

You can even buy pouches of pre-cooked rice or pasta, so all you have to do is, for example, open a jar of curry, throw in a pouch of pre-cooked jasmine rice, heat, and serve. I made about 10 different meals that were more than enough variety. They were all good except for the beef stew, in which the potatoes were overcooked for me. That's my biggest complaint from the experience.

MUCH better than freeze dried, or commercially canned food which is full of salt and chemicals. My jars just had real food in them. No extra salt or preservatives. Actually, I don't like that much salt, so they were a bit under salted, if anything.

It's not hard to do, but you do need to invest in a good pressure canner, jars, and a good book, like the Complete Guide fo Pressure Canning by Devereaux. I did most of the cooking and canning in the last month before the voyage, but if I'd been smart, I would have started months earlier. No matter, it's so much easier (and safer!) to cook in a real kitchen that however you do it, you will thank yourself every day at sea.

As far as I'm concerned, it's the only way to go, unless you have a large boat with a big freezer. Then you can just freeze meat and use frozen veg. Obviously the easy way to go. But if you don't have that luxury, then canning your own meals is a no-brainer.

Highly recommended!

[Eder]

My favourite things were granola bars, Uht milk and different cereals, but the best thing was my breadmaker...fresh loaf every day.

[Nicholson58]

We have done this several times. The worst results were attempting to do daily cooking from scratch. Sea state can make a galley untenable or even dangerous. If there is good freezer space we prepare very nice meals and freeze In ziplock bags. Lunch and anytime snacks is DIY sandwich meats, peanut butter, fruit. Have plenty of crunchy nibbles. Plan to be able to do fish if one is caught. If people eat on deck loose things blown by wind is not good. Think about trying to eat one-handed in a blow with the floor moving.

[RSH]

Just because you have a vajayjay does not mean you're the one at the stove all the time.

I'd sit down with your "blokes" and have a direct and clear conversation about expectations about who will cook, what people's likes and dislikes are, who's on cleanup duty if someone is cooking, etc.

I'd also have a clear discussion about personal boundaries, alcohol and drug use, personal integrity, privacy and safety.

I'd also ask for time at the helm so you can learn to sail. There's no reason you can't take time at a watch and know how to trim the sails and watch the autopilot. I'm a competent sailor now, and we bought a 40' catamaran 4 years ago in our 50's with no experience whatsover, so there's no excuse not to learn and become an equal member of the sailing team rather than a scullery maid.

ah, yeah, I'm also a chick if you hadn't figured that one out yet

eta: as for the food itself, we found we do not enjoy heating up the galley while underway and often choose cold foods that are assembled rather than hot foods that are cooked. We also are huge fans of RX power bars since they're simple and high protein. We have two fridges, a microwave, a propane stove, and an outdoor propane grill so it's not like we don't have options, we just find that while underway it's not a lot of fun to cook a meal like it is when we're anchored or docked in a marina.

[MWhite]

Unless you are choosing to be the cook, then there is no reason for you to assume that you will be. Being a girl does not mean you know how to cook or, more importantly, that you enjoy cooking. Kidding/not kidding. Seriously, you should rotate that position if you can because you will probably get really tired of being in the galley. It's not easy cooking on a passage and people want to eat a lot because it's a lot of work out there sailing. It seems to take longer to cook a meal at sea so you'll be spending all of your time in the galley, which is not much fun. So don't put yourself in the position where everyone expects you to be the chef all the time.

If you are the meal planner, be sure to plan some meals that people can make for themselves. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese and crackers come to mind. You can slice up and store fresh vegetables for the first part of the passage to serve with these things.

I'm not sure what is available for you where you are, but here's what we like:

I recommend taking the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mixes. They are easy and good and they don't make a mess. Brownie mixes are also really terrific.

Decent pancake mix. Can be served with syrup, but also with jam/jelly. Or, on our boat, just butter. (also take butter)

Eggs. A lot of eggs because they store well and are really useful in many things. Since you are in the Philippines, maybe they sell them unrefrigerated? Because if so, you're golden.

See if you can get a sourdough starter from another cruiser before you go. Sourdough bread fresh from the oven on a passage is a complete game changer and so appreciated. You can also make stovetop naan, which is delicious. Bring yogurt, or learn to make that underway. It's easy and making naan requires it.

Also, canned or (preferably jarred) vegetables can fill in after your produce is done, although a couple of cabbages will probably last the whole time if they are kept dry and cool. You can store celery by cutting the bottom and sticking it down into a jar of water in the fridge, surrounded by things to keep it upright. It stays really crisp that way. Any root vegetables also store well. Sweet potatoes make a good meal and are easy in a pressure cooker.

Jars of applesauce. This can be used as an egg substitute when baking. While I'm at it, canned fruit of all kinds. Making a cobbler with a can of fruit is super easy, if you get tired of chocolate chip cookies.

Of course, rice and beans, and add some sausage or cook with broth for flavor. On our boat, we add a can of greens (think turnip greens) to that, but this might not be available for you.

To get us started, I usually prepare our breakfast 'muffins' in advance. These are basically scrambled eggs with vegetables (like canned spinach), onions, sausage, bacon, cheese, made in muffin tins. High in protein and easy to grab. They are also good cold, so if it's rough no one has to try to use the stove. I also make these with a spinach/feta cheese/parmesan mixture. No recipe, just wing it.

On our next passage I'm going to take a small air popper for popcorn. Sometimes you just want a crunchy snack and potato chips take up a lot of storage room and they will go fast. We have an inverter so a small electric appliance like that will be fine.

Protein bars. This is a personal favorite. I like to have a wide variety of these on board.


Whatever you decide, be sure that you can cook that meal in a pot with a secure lid so that you don't end up with a pot of stew on the floor. (ask me how I learned this one incredible secret to passage cooking) And also be sure the boat is stocked with foods that do not need cooking. If you hit a rough patch, no one is going to want to stand at the galley stove.

Canned meats such as chicken and tuna. On a fine day at sea, nothing beats a lovely chicken salad with the last few grapes tossed in, served with crisp crackers and a cold drink in the cockpit. It's so lovely out there. Have a fine passage.

[Kiwi.]

Ann's comments are spot on; I too have cut and pasted them into my boat file. Only three things I can add are:
1: Pressure cooker. Electric if you have 240v otherwise old style. Big advantage is speed and totally sealed for when it takes a trip across the cabin.
2: Eggs. Somebody commented get them fresh and unrefrigerated I absolutely agree. But wash them, dry them immediately and smear them with Vaseline or similar. I've got six months out of an egg in the tropics with this process.
3: Everybody takes a turn in the hole! We typically choose a meal each. Nobody wants me on dinner (I'm a terrible cook) so I'm on breakfast and coffee. I can do eggs perfectly any which way.
Oh and just one thing else: you do realize this is an addictive sport? I'm writing this half way between Naples and Marseilles in the Med; once it's under your skin you'll always look forward to the next passage. Enjoy yourself and don't let them make you a galley slave.

[JAFO]

Originally Posted by MWhite

You can store celery by cutting the bottom and sticking it down into a jar of water in the fridge, surrounded by things to keep it upright. It stays really crisp that way.

If it's not possible to store celery in the fridge, limp celery can be restored to crispness by soaking it in cold water for a while before use.

[Night_Sailor]

Freeze dried sounds horrible to me. I find I typically need two portions of prepared foods. They are not sized for someone 6'4". I avoid starches being diabetic. You should check to see if anyone has any special food requirements.


What will you do if people eat only part of a freeze dried meal and then want another? Best to try people on these before you leave shore. I don't see happy outcomes with freeze dried food. That's for emergency use only. Bring twice as much as you think you need if that is your plan.


Plan for two meals a day. Big guys will need bulk. Pasta and rice work well for that. And then add snacks. People can make their own snacks or sandwiches. You are not the dedicated cook unless you want to be. And you won't want to be if it's rough out, no one will want to cook.

14 days with 4 people will get tedious. You will be standing watch, probably 2 hours/thrice a day--on a long trip that will be tiring. It sounds easy but it is not. Even a week will start to get fatiguing. This is why we have a day of rest. That is not the case offshore. Unless you want to opt out of the watch schedule and just do cooking and meal prep. It would not be practical with only four crew to have three watch keepers and one cook.

Bring some protein shakes, like Slim Fast. Those will keep you going if the weather gets rough. It may not as you will probably see more calm conditions than storms. In any event, they store easily and can be moved into the ice box as needed. They make for good snacks that satisfy with zero effort.

Don't bring anything that will make a mess of the fridge. One Greek sailor bought some uncooked squid. He insisted he would cook and eat it and never did. Then he said he would use it for bait, and never did. I should have tossed it overboard. It made a disgusting mess of the bottom of the fridge. Guess who had to clean it up? Everyone wants to leave the boat clean up to others. Don't be afraid to boss people around about clean up and dishes if you do most of the cooking. I'd recommend a rotation. I guess what I'm saying is don't let someone shove a fool idea at you that will have predictable unpleasant consequences.

Many boats do not have freezers. You are talking freeze dried foods so maybe you don't have a freezer???

You should know how much space you have. Freeze everything at home before loading. Deep freezing it well below freezing if available. Don't count on a small cold plate to freeze everything on board when you get to the boat. Freeze it super cold in advance--at home. Some grocery stores will do that for you. Obviously, store the last to be used items at the bottom and first to be used at the top.

Eat nothing the night before you leave and eat light until you get your sea legs. I always get sea sick until I lose some water weight. It takes me a day to adapt. Ocean sailing is not the same as inshore sailing.

People typically bring their own stores in addition to planned provisions.

Some people have zero prep on their part think they have a right to use your towel and eat your food. Be up front about that. Put your special stores somewhere no one will find it. Tell them, once again--in advance, if they forget a towel, they will be using a t shirt to dry off the whole trip. I bring one towel, and a wash cloth--I don't every share it. One time a guy who brought four towels wanted to borrow mine. My answer is HELL NO. If you forget a towel, that is your problem not mine. The same goes for important food items you want and need.

Don't give in to fools who can't think ahead two weeks. I find it difficult to say no to people when they ask to eat my food, unless I am clear about this in advance.

If the other crew want some special food items, they need to decide how much they want to bring for personal use, let everyone know to leave it alone and store it with their personal gear.

If you are doing the buying, tell them to let you know exactly what they need and how much they will need. Ask for it in writing and specific details. Really they should buy any special items themselves. There may be a brand they like and others they don't like. Label personal food stores.

My careful rationing has been ruined in one day by a pig stealing my private provisions. Even if I put them in my own cabin or some hidden location people see me eating it and then ask for it. If necessary put it in a bag with a lock on it.

My breakfast Granola for example. I also like to drink diet coke. Suddenly people who say they don't drink it, and are not provisioned for it, want mine or just take it without asking. Write your name on the outside and attach a note saying hands off. Honestly you have to hide it or it will be gone and then you are stuck eating something they ordered instead of your preference.

Bottom line is if you want to provision for everyone then plan every meal in detail, for two meals a day and snacks. Discuss all this in advance, face to face.



You do not want three meals as activity will be less and if people are sea sick they won't be eating as much. I like easy to prepare meals like pre-made lasagna. I like hard boiled eggs for snacks.

You may start to run low at the end. Having something like pasta will store well. I put these in tupperware containers and get rid of as much packaging as possible. I like pasta with melted butter and cheese is a fast meal and you can substitute tomato sauce. Only the butter needs refrigeration. Potatoes, hashed and cooked in butter is very satisfying also for bulk.

Garbage will be a problem as time goes on. A empty metal canister with holes in it, some sort of mount to hold it to the back rail, and a propane torch will allow you to burn plastic to reduce waste--if you are sailing downwind. It would be wise to have a solution to burn garbage. It will start to stink after a while.