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NRosenthal · 29-03-2014, 08:03

Food is what I do for a living. Food for on board settings is my specialty. I make use of a commercial vacuum packing machine (not a home counter top unit). This eliminates cans and boxes, as well as allowing complete meals to be prepared in advance and frozen. Ice chests and ice boxes can keep frozen meals below 40F for over a week especially when the boxes are kept as full as possible. This allows me to prepare larger batches of meals, as the finished product keeps very well frozen for several months. The bagged meals can be heated in the bags in boiling water, less to wash up, hot water can be used for hot beverages or washing. I also source the best, freshest products which help toward nutrition and flavor. Earlier this year I provisioned a Pacific Sea Craft 37 on a run to Cabo. 11 days of frozen meals in 2 54 quart coolers for 3 adults with no problem. The refer and freezer on board was very small and food was still 38F on arrival.

oldragbaggers · 29-03-2014, 08:11

NRosenthal, specifically what unit of vacuum sealer do you use? I am looking to get a new one soon as I have one of the very earliest models of Food Saver and it is getting worn out. I wouldn't mind going the extra expense for a really good unit that will last. I use the heck out of it between boating, camping, and bulk buying.

Mike OReilly · 29-03-2014, 08:26

We've provisioned for a couple of months at a time. We have a small fridge, but don't really rely on it for a lot. First week is fresh and fragile stuff: delicate fruit and veg, fresh meat, etc. By week three we're using more hard veg and fruits: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, rutabaga, parsnips, etc. tomatoes last a long time out of the sun if the remain unbruised. Beans, rice, pastas, canned and dried food starts to become more prominent as we move into month two and beyond.

For breads, we pack tortillas, but after the run our we bake pan breads and make our own tortillas. We just got an oven so I expect to be baking yeast breads going forward. Obviously we pack bulk flour, cooking oils, and lots of dried spices. Good spices make a huge difference in the galley. Any one-pot shlop can be made into gourmet fair with the proper spices.

Speaking of dried, I dehydrate most of our dried foods. We carry all manner of fruits, veg and some meats. The nice thing about dried food is that it retains most of the nutritional value, tastes almost like fresh once rehydrated, and if stored right can last for years. I recently bought a Foodsaver sealer. They are amazing. I've had a number of these things over the years and this is, bar none, the best. I have the 12 volt version, so can easily run it off the house banks while underway.

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NRosenthal · 29-03-2014, 09:43

Becky,
I use a Vacmaster P215. These units are entry level commercial and run around $1000.00. You can see some of my work at www.cip.bz yes I have an investment with this company LOL.