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23-12-2005, 23:02

Almost missed that GORD. Sounds interesting, although I am not a big fan of bacon, but I will try anything once.

Curtis · 24-12-2005, 07:10

Although I'm not usually a fan of pre-cooked, pre-packaged food-like substances, I have to admit that I'm kind of hooked on the precooked microwave bacon for use on the boat. Doesn't need refrigeration and doesn't make a big mess when you cook. We use it to make sandwiches for heavy going but will also toss it in a pan to heat up with scrambled eggs.

**Pblais** · 24-12-2005, 08:00

From my days of mountaineering:

Prepackage everythig into ZipLock bags so you have one meal in one bag with all ingrediants ready to go inside perhaps little sandwich bags. Maybe write directions on a piece of paper and stuff it inside. Then use a marker to label the bag.

You can make an almost unlimited types of meals using simple ingredients:

Pasta not too thick, par boiled rice or "minute rice", lentils. Use differnt shapes and colors of pasta to make each meal different. Little things like that help on a long trip.

I like freeze dried vegetables but adding fresh is not bad either if you have them. Cut them into small pices so they cook quicker.

Sun Dried Tomatoes taste great and have the texture of real meat. You can dry vegetables yourself if you live in a dry climate using window screens in bright sun. Just store them in air tight containers. But you can buy them too. Freeze dried vegetables can be bought in bulk but generally means really large amounts.

Dried soup mixes like Knorr or "cup a soup" add flavor. Mix and match as required to make a lot of different neals. canned soups work too but add weight.

Canned meats like tuna or chicken or just go vegetarian. A n 9 oz. can of tuna is enough for 3 people with all the rest of the stuff. Figure about two big bowls per person. Serve one full round to each and a round of seconds to make sure folks are full.

The way to cook all this stuff is to start with a pot of cold water and add to it from the start. Don't preapre things like you do at home. This process will make a meal for 4 people in under 15 minutes sometimes less. You don't need to boil water first and have it liable to fly around. You start cooking as soon as the stove is on.

Lentils take a few hours to soak first but the rest starts with the cold water. Dried beans take a lot longer to soak and cook but if you like them they work well too. They use more fuel.

Add vegetables, and pasta / rice to cold water and slowly bring to a boil. You are not attempting to get to boil quickly so use a low to medium burner flame. This lets the hard stuff slowly start cooking. As you get closer to a boil add any canned meat. Once you start boiling add any dried soup. Let it boil for about 3 minutes and then cover with the stove turned off. In about 5 mintes it's done cooking.

You can make dinners for 2, 3 or 4 people this way pretty easy and you can save a whole lot of fuel. One pot meals are great in foul / cold weather and using this method they clean up easily since you don't cook for long periods at high heat.

Prepackaging makes it easy for one person to just throw it together and the cooking instructions are almost all the same so anyone can be a good cook.

The trick is to experiment with different ingrediants of the things people like adding different spices. You can do all this without any refrigeration and pack a months worth of meals in a small space. We have done 21 day backpacking trips and ate very well this way so it can be done with light weight and small volume and prepared in absolutely terrible weather.

For an emergency breakfast: Add granola, died fruit Or freeze dried berries with powered milk (the powdered 1% butter fat milk is not bad). Then you just add water and eat it direct from the bag. Again the prepackaging is the key.

Food from the store has so much wasted packaging and you fuss with it a lot. When you pre-measure quanties ahead of time you can save space and tme later during the trip. Cooking a full meal can be easier underway with all the dumb stuff done ahead of time.

drew.ward · 16-02-2007, 11:57

Buy a few MREs. As much as they have a bad name, thinking back on the Army, the vast majority of them were really good. They have their own heating element (just add water / salt water) and come with an entree, starch, and either bread or crackers and cheese / peanut butter. There's also usually a sweet (cake, cookie, granola bar, candy), and a bio-degradeable napkin.

The whole thing is in a soft, water-proof bag, then each component is in a metal pouch (like the new tuna out there). The meal heats up in about 5 minutes, and if something interrupts you it will stay hot for up to 20.

Plus, if you have to stop eating, just fold the top of the pouch over and sit it down, it will be there when you get back and not spill.

These things are designed for people who can't always sit down and eat...and really, the taste of the newer ones is really good.

I think they usually run about $6-7 per, but you get them much cheaper if you buy a box of them. If I remember it's 12 per box. It's funny, I can remember how to dismantle and rebuild an M-16 with my eyes closed, but I can't remember how many of those come in a box!

Hope that helps,

Drew

Nuremberg, Germany
Landlocked hopeful future Liveaboard

bcguy · 18-02-2007, 11:20

...and backon sounds worthy of a try. The following may sound gross but once you have tried it... peanut butter and sliced tomatoe sandwich.

...gary

s/vAngel · 19-02-2007, 12:35

Yes! those MRE's are excellent. Check out Full Moisture Pouches/Meals Ready to Eat/MRE and they sell just the main dish and a heater pouch for less $ than a whole MRE kit. I'm a picky eater and a veg. (for taste reasons, not political or whatever) and those easy-to-heat meals made my long sea crossings that much nicer. As a singlehander, it's not easy to cook down below anyways. You just add water to the MRE heater and that's it. Those things don't need refrigeration either and last a long time on the shelf.
rebecca

Lynx · 19-02-2007, 22:39

MRE's - I would think that the smell of the water boiling would be a problem and the sloshing around boiling water and if you do not heat them long enough it can cause you problems. Suggest that you try them at sea, while under way, before buying a lot.

I would rather carry more pennut butter and tuna than eat MRE's in any weather.

jim lee · 19-02-2007, 23:37

Foul weather and cooking? I don't remember them two words going togather. Can of raviolies (Or whatever you can grab) cold and a fork.

We lived the better part of a week like this on the passage north to Hawaii. Yeech!

-jim lee

cat man do · 20-02-2007, 04:35

Geez you mono-hull guy's have to rough it.

Only had a problem making a good feed on my cat when punching to weather in 30+ knot's, but could alway's knock up a pre-cooked stew if required.

Off the breeze we have cooked a small roast and vegie in the Magma while running off doing 15-17 knot's in 30 knot's under headsail.

This is on a 30 footer, I imagine it would be much easier on a bigger boat

Guy's I know on a catamaran owned by a chef ate carpetbag steak's and drank nice bottled red's in glass'es while sailing in 30 knot's plus in a race on a 47 foot cat a couple of years back.

They also had draught beer on tap, so we followed them around for a couple of week's, as you do.

Would'nt expect anything less

Dave

northerncat · 20-02-2007, 05:13

stop trying to stir up jealousy dave some people like adversity as they claim it develops character which in turn stops you from going soft 8-)
sean

cat man do · 20-02-2007, 06:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by northerncat

stop trying to stir up jealousy dave some people like adversity as they claim it develops character which in turn stops you from going soft 8-)
sean

Adversity, isn't that trying to drink a beer when all it want's to do is fall over and spill everywhere.

Dave.

ps: You're spelling has improved, what's the story?

David_Old_Jersey · 20-02-2007, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by cat man do

Adversity, isn't that trying to drink a beer when all it want's to do is fall over and spill everywhere.

I thought that was a "normal" beer drinking scenario?

s/vAngel · 21-02-2007, 13:00

Lynx, you haven't tried an MRE then, there is no water sloshing around. I've used these at sea in all conditions, including crossing the Gulf Stream - here's the basics: You have a "heater pouch" and a sealed meal pouch. the meal pouch goes into the heater pouch and you add a few teaspoons of water. It's not enough to slosh (you've added too much if it does). This Heater pouch is a bag and it just is laid on the floor until the food heats about 10 minutes. Ta-da! open the meal pouch and eat. Rough weather or not, I've been enjoying these greatly in my cruising life for years.
r