The Trauma When a Foodie Goes Liveaboard

[SecondBase]

From Le Creuset. I have the older model only two handles.

[cgrabens]

I'm a foodie as well and have no fridge and no appliances in my kitchen. I love the challenge of cooking in my galley and still make plenty of creative meals and bake. What appliance is it that you think you need or can't do without? I have found i have more time to cook since living aboard, and whatever fresh produce I pick up usually becomes my showcase in the meal.

[valhalla360]

Big shrimp for next to nothing fresh off the boat, softshell crab, sushi readily available. Tropical fruits fresh off the trees.


I don't get it.

[Caribbeachbum]

Almost no gadgets: stick blender does almost anything and runs off the inverter; coffee grinder because the beans should be ground just before the coffee is made; and three really good knives (chef, paring, fillet). You can use the stick to grind coffee, but a coffee grinder is a unitasker I can live with.

My only point of stress is the stand mixer! I love making bread and pasta from scratch, and hate kneading and rolling by hand. But the space it takes up ...oof. It probably doesn't get to come along when we cut the lines for good.

[UNCIVILIZED]

The question seems bass ackwards to me. As on a boat you don't/can't carry a lot of pre-made items for the; microwave, oven, sauces or such. So between that, & not being able to dine out all of the time, you cook more. Which, for me anyway, leads to more creativity, along with trying more recipes & experimenting. Especially when coupled with a no/limited fridge situation. Thus you have more fresh, & varied food onboard than 90-something% of households.

Yes, I definitely have more than my share of one-pot recipes. But I'm also a whiz at manifold-cookery, improvisation, & finding "new" things at the market & grocery store. Perhaps growing up cooking 50 miles from nowhere, at sea, or in the mountains, tuned up a few skills. Though little enough of that kind of thing is tough to learn. And if you like to cook, you'll find a way.

A tip. My 70yr old Chinese cleaver quickly became my favorite tool. It crushes garlic, & aids in peeling them (by crushing them whole with the skins on first). Is amazing at all parts of meat prep, but for the finer points of butchering large game. It tenderizes meat, chops, minces, & does a dozen other things. Allowing for less tools in the galley. And yes, I love it's ancient patina, & outstanding edge from said steel. Plus the semi-ornate cord wrap on it's custom mahogany handle... Hey, it was old, old, old, when I found it, & required a new grip

Aside from that, get a French Press for coffee. And aside from Sun Brewing beverages, develop a taste for trying new drinks. The varietys are endless. Coffee, & Teas included.

EDIT: I reckon I have Grandma to thank for assisting me with getting a good start on the basics in the kitchen. As Ann said, new kitchen tools are mostly ones of convenience. Not revolution.
Also, have you looked in the CF cooking sub-forums?

[belizesailor]

My wife is the real foodie. Im am semi-foodie. She is very creative in the galley and food is one of the highlights of cruising.

Tools I know she uses a lot: pressure cooker, mandolin, wonder bag. BBQ gets used lot too by me. Loads of spices aboard...larger quantities vaccum bagged to keep fresh. Loads of good vaccum bagged coffee too. Oh yeah, vaccum bagger gets used a lot too...for the above and for fish. Good basic set of knives. Cast iron skillet. You dont need a lot of gadgets to turn out good grub.

Fresh caught sea food, local markets, trying things you never would have thought to eat...like Cow Fish...over decades in the water, never even crossed my mind to eat one, but the Kuna indians of the San Blas do, so I tried one. Quite tasty actually, tastes like...you guessed it...chicken! They even call it Pesca Pollo "Chicken Fish".

For us experiencing new cultures and their food is one of the highlights of cruising (and travelling...just returned from Peru...foodie heaven).

To that end, we dont stock pile or freeze a lot of food, we always try to provision fresh and local. This way you get immersed in both local culture and their food. We only have about 4 cf of fridge space and 1 cf of freezer. Every season I think of expanding it, the space is even pre-wired, but I never do because it always proves to be plenty for our provisioning style...except when we catch a big fish.

Small gear hammocks and open weave baskets are great for keeping fruits and veggies fresh.

[belizesailor]

Provisioning in the San Blas...whats not to like? Fresh produce delivered right to your boat!

[sck5]

I grew up overseas and while I like good food I am not picky as long as I get enough - A lot of people in the world don't and it is kind of amusing to watch Americans who are so obsessive about what they put in their mouths. My best sailing friend used to lead back country canoe trips a month long in the wilds of Quebec. He prides himself on turning out a good meal under any kind of conditions. He thinks the boat is a culinary paradise. Force 10 stove with two burners! Refrigerator! A sink!

And I must say, amen to the pressure cooker. I have had that thing launch itself across the cabin in rough weather without losing the dinner inside.

[Shrew]

Being a Foodie simply means you enjoy eating gourmet food as a pasttime. there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you are having problems preparing complex meals on board, I suspect the focus should be on culinary arts skills, not the tools needed to achieve the goal.

There is no reason your culinary arts game is reduced while onboard. What is in a land-based kitchen that isn't in the galley? Culinary Arts have been around hundreds of years before electricity. Blenders, food processors, bread makers, etc are completely unnecessary. Any tool which is a 'uni-tasker' is not allowed in our kitchen or galley.

The most important thing are a good set of professional grade pots and pans. The key is a thick, heavy base to retain heat evenly. A good set of professional grade knives (Full Tang, well balanced). A good sharpening stone and an understanding of how to sharpen a knife. The understanding of the difference between sharpening a knife and grinding a knife and knowing when each is needed (you should be have your knives professionally ground at least yearly).

Understanding of the principals of food preparation and culinary arts is the key here, not gadgets.

[Kenomac]

We eat better on the boat.

[brownoarsman]

Originally Posted by UNCIVILIZED

Yes, I definitely have more than my share of one-pot recipes. But I'm also a whiz at manifold-cookery, improvisation, & finding "new" things at the market & grocery store.,

Does manifold cookery refer to baking potatoes on your exhaust manifold? Because if so, I'm gonna have to add one more con to the outboard column in the never-ending inboard vs outboard debate ...

[sail2travel]

Buy a cat and you can take any appliances you want/need as there's a lot more space to store them! All kidding aside, if you love food and cooking, there is a good book called the Boat Galley. the author has great suggestions. For example use a wine bottle instead of a rolling pin. I did that the first year for X Mas cookies and it was fun! She has measurement calculations for liters vs cups, etc which I found very useful in other countries. So other than storage there's no need to worry about cooking less intensely. Other suggestions above like the stick hand mixer that has lots of attachments are great. Enjoy the ride!

[Tom and Maje]

Originally Posted by vonchris7

The transition from landlubber to live aboard has been a bit traumatic for me.

I'm a serious foodie. It's been an adjustment...

Curious about your favorite/must have:
gadgets
appliances
food staples
etc... for the galley

Surely we're not all living on red beans and rice??

I'm a serious foodie, and have learned to have smaller appliances or do it by hand. Don't change the way you eat, you won't be happy.

Maje

[Island Time O25]

To me self-identification as a "foodie" translated means "I can't cook for s**t but love to buy kitchen gadgets and gourmet magazines and try to imitate dishes I've seen on Food TV".

In my galley I have these essentials, in addition to the usual kitchen nick-knacks:

1. Cast iron skillets - 1 small and 1 medium. Thinking of adding a large one as well but usually if the medium one is not enough it's time to fire up good ole' stern railing BBQ gril.
2. round thick 6" mesh with handle to make stove top toast, heat up bagels, etc.
3. elec. coffee grinder (I've tried hand turned but they take forever to make even 1 cup worth of powder grade grind)
4. 4qt pressure cooker + pressure pan, thinking of adding 6qt one I have at home
5. Set of 6 large 1/2" wide by 2' long ss kebob skewers
6. Med. size pizza stone for flat breads, pizzas, etc
7. Several non-SS sharp knives, kept in the oily rag and sharpening stone (actually the stone in a nice wooden box came with the boat)

Plus a bunch of differently sized plastic bowls for salads, etc. Also I have a set of large plastic see-through pepper grinders which I fill up with various spice mixes and use them to save prep time and storage space. I label them "fish mix" "meat mix", "soup mix", "dessert mix", etc.

[bruce v]

Originally Posted by vonchris7

The transition from landlubber to live aboard has been a bit traumatic for me.

I'm a serious foodie. It's been an adjustment...

Curious about your favorite/must have:
gadgets
appliances
food staples
etc... for the galley

Surely we're not all living on red beans and rice??

Sorry if I seem disparaging in this writing but you are not a serious foodie if you cannot figure ways to fix your favorites aboard. Everything from coffee (French press) to filet mignon with Cabernet sauce (grill and single burner propane cooktop) can be prepared. As a qualified chef, I find nothing that is out of simple reach to prepare. I live in a 30' sailboat with a small galley yet have room for an alcohol stove and oven, an induction plate and convection oven (both electrical and tabletop), a Kerig cup/caraf (electric) and a small bottle propane grill on my pushpit. Of course the electrical requires me to be plugged in to the dock or run my 3k generator but I find it easy to prepare gourmet foods by simply using creative planning. It is not about using space or equipment, it is about creative use of it. Of course, there are periods of adjustment but taking the time to do so is oh so rewarding.