Cooking Without Refrigeration / Microwave

[Cyndimarcus]

Great thread! This is what I've been researching as we too only have an ice box and are heading to mexico in Nov.
My recipe:
Salmon Patties
1 can salmon (I think the 6oz size for 2 of us)
1/2 cup crackers crushed ( we use vegetable crackers)
1 egg
1 Tablespoon olive oil
chopped green onions
a little milk (maybe 1/8 cup)
mix all together and make into patties and fry

Like to serve with baked potatoes, but don't know how I'm gonna go without my sour cream

[Talbot]

A cool box full of ice will extend age of items, but one of the best ways to extend life is to vacuum pack, and even better to can stuff.

When I was young, deep freezes were not common. We used to grow a lot of vegtables, and would salt them down, and use them for the rest of the year.

dried meat and fish will last a lot longer, and can then be cooked appropriately and used.

Bill and Larel Cooper have good advice on keeping vegtables and eggs in the "Sell up and Sail"

Lots of options, really dependent on how long you need to keep stuff.

[Randy]

It's been years since I was a liveaboard but some of my favorite meals are still the one pot variety. I didn't have refrigeration or even an icebox usually but a lot of veggies hold up well with ventilation.

One recipe This thread brought to mind is Spanish rice-a-roni which I jazzed up with sauted onion, canned tomatoes & canned beans.

Some things that store well unrefrigerated: Clarified butter (has no salt so it doesn't taste quite the same)
Eggs (I knew of a boat that had eggs for 50 days on a passage from Panama to Hawaii. I've kept them for 3 wks. I've heard of waxing them & end for ending them daily. Samonella is a potential issue - cook the eggs well)

Emergency Essentials is a website that offers a lot of canned, dehydrated food some of which might be useful. Powdered Sour cream being one.
When I was in the Navy in the 80's after we'd been at sea for 45 days or so we went to powdered eggs, powdered potatoes, powdered milk none of which was great fare.

[zeehag]

regular butter will store for a year if kept coolish in shady areas of the boat---there are many things that store well in boats--veggies do, chiles do, fresh garlic does--even without being dumped inot your olive oil bottle!! i hang my fresh veggies and such--garlic, onions, tomatoes--in a basket in the air in my main saloon. shady there and sorta cool--potatoes in a hanging gear hammock, as i also keep my coffee beans, dried whole milk and bisquick......there is no reason not to eat well without fridge or nuker oven---i try no tto use either--in my formosa i have neither --and when cruising with my friends i find the fridge always breaks down so why bother!
i have lived aboard for over 20 years without fridge---welcome to my world!! i donot have recipes--i throw stuff together using onions, olive oil and garlic --sometimes serrano chiles---or whatever i might have nearby and on hand--when near land i buy fresh stuff daily--while cruising i try to catch fish daily....makes a difference while cruising i have found the places i go have wonderful produce and meats. i am not planning a long across the biggest ocean passage---so there is always somewhere to buy foods i might want--no reason not to keep fresh veggies or fruits in boat--they last long enough hanging in the baskets in my saloon before they go over the edge!! i make pork chops with fruits and onion---is awesome--with pineapple and onion and coconut milk and whatever---cook it and serve with rice---peanut oil is good for the searing of the chops...add chile --minced or slice into thin rings to cook with the fruits and onion---cook chops first then make a sauce of the fruits and onion with some rum--golden rum is best...serve with rice and spoon the sauce and fruits over the chops and rice----i donot measure things--i splash --about 1/2 c rum to 1/2 c fruit juices and 1/3 c coconut milk-and half stick of butter--add the chunks of fruit at the last minuet before serving so they arent hot and mushy..can be used with chicken also.....

[Cyndimarcus]

I thought of another good recipe:
Lentils Mexicana
cook lentils
add:
can chopped tomatoes
can chopped green chilies
can olives -small sliced
top with cheese, I like pepper jack
chopped cilantro
bake, and serve with tortillia chips
feels like it is not really dinner, but snacking, yum

I believe you can keep cheese if you put a little vinagar on it and seal it, maybe sealameal
Anyone have experience with this?

[Cyndimarcus]

Oh I forgot to ask. I've heard that if mayo is not "contaminated" it lasts just fine not refrigerated. Could you use squeeze bottles of mayo?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Cyndimarcus

Oh I forgot to ask. I've heard that if mayo is not "contaminated" it lasts just fine not refrigerated. Could you use squeeze bottles of mayo?

i use squeeze bottles of best foods/hellmans mayo for one week and then dispo--i donot trust the stuff man makes with eggs in it !! LOL--and i keep it in the coolest place i can find in may galley!!

as for cheese--i just wrap it tight and stash it in a cool dark place until i use it--

[Hud3]

OK, Kathleen. Here's a great Chili Con Carne recipe, using the Brinkman Farms canned ground beef that I mentioned in an earlier post. Please don't tell The Admiral that I posted her famous secret chili recipe on the Internet!

The Admiral's Chili Con Carne

Ingredients:
1 large can (80 oz) kidney beans
1 large Spanish onion, ½” dice
2 medium green peppers, ½” dice
1 28 oz can Brinkman Farms ground beef
1 large can (56oz) tomatoes
16 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbs regular McCormicks chili powder
1 Tbs hot McCormicks chili powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs vinegar
vegetable oil

Instructions:
In a large stock pot, sauté onions in oil until transparent. Add green peppers and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes to pot, crushing them as you put them in. Add all remaining ingredients, including the ground beef. Simmer on low heat for at least an hour and a half. Add additional chili powders to suit your taste.

[Kathleen]

More great ideas!

Cyndimarcus, salmon patties are a standby for me but I’ve never thought of using vegetable crackers though and plan to try that!

Blu, I’ve never caught a fish while sailing. The idea of the fresh fish stew sounds great too – though I have never cleaned a fish in my whole life! But hey…I'll give it a try as a new experience! J

zeehag, I think most cooks are the “dash of this and handful of that” types. But I’d like to give those aspiring kitchen magicians a chance to make what we discuss - so guestimate, girlie! Even if you guestimate handfuls or bunch, pinch, etc. J The pork chops with coconut milk, fruits and onions sounds fantastic!

A secret chili recipe, Hud3? Oh, the admiral will never hear that you spilled it from me! It looks good and seems to make a lot. How many troops does it feed?

Randy and Talbot, your posts made me think of creamed chipped beef, which is made with dried beef and served in the military according to Dad. (It has another name in the military, I’m told.)

Creamed Chipped Beef

1 Jar of dried chipped beef, rinsed and drained well so it is less salty
Milk enough to make 3 cups (Condensed, powdered, or fresh)
2 or 3 tablespoons of butter
2 or 4 tablespoons of flour
Fresh pepper
*salt to taste – the beef is very salty, so I do not add salt. Dad does though!

Melt the butter in a saucepan big enough to hold everything and allow you to stir. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Slowly add the milk until it is well-blended. Add fresh pepper and shredded dried beef. Simmer for two minutes stirring constantly. (Dad would add salt here.) Serve on toast, English muffins, or biscuits.

[zeehag]

my secret mexican green chile recipe-IS AUTHENTIC!!!--
need a few long green chiles or a can of california green chiles , whole...if fresh, burn them to get the skin off--it wont come off any other way but burning--on a grill or over open flame
tomatillos--very important--can be canned!! fresh ones need to e cooked down---with the stew---
onions and garlic--i love both and use many of each as possible--one huge onion is awesme or 2 small ones...garlic, fresh--as much as ye can stand to eat--more the better!!!
salt to taste--donot forget the cilantro--either freeze-dried flakes from a bottle or fresh
small amount of oregano
always place the herbs into the oil with the onions and garlic for best flavor..donot burn them, however ...LOL
pork!!!!--canned or some really cheap cut, seared and cut to chunks or stewed into breakapart chunks/bits--leftovers are great--just cut into smaller bits and will stew into yummy morsels--if new and fresh--sear it and brown the outside for better flavor!!! if canned--brown the meat!!! after the garlic and onion are made transparent in the pan--try to use a dutch oven or pressure cooker!! this stuff grows larger than expected lol....the stew will need a coupla hours to cook into itself for best blend of flavor-well past the point of tenderness of meat--the amount of tomatillos should be 10 fresh ones or a large can--serve with rice--and use goood corn tortillas --i like the ones from the mexican markets or from the tortillerias in mexico!!! when this is fully cooked, the chiles will be so mushed they are not able to be seen except for a few bits, and the pork will be able to fall apart with a fork, under gentle pressure!! is a stew! i like it for christmas because it is green ...LOL

this can be made with chicken but i donot guarantee the results ..lol..also--do NOT remove the fat from the dish..is important for the flavor of the mix--we do need fats for many of our body's functions--like growth of ova in the ovaries---and hair and nail strength and skin turgor....

[Cyndimarcus]

stirfry onions, and shrimp. Set aside, heat Alfredo sauce from a jar and return the shrimp/onion to pan. Serve over pasta
Can also add mushrooms canned or fresh
I have a friend that is sending me some recipes and I'll post those when I get them. Giving proper credit to the author of course!

[Cyndimarcus]

OK, is this thread making anyone else hungry?

[Kathleen]

If it makes us hungry, we are doing it right!

I had this tuna salad at a workshop (which unfortunately was not sailing-related!) The salad was so good and did not require ingredients to be refrigerated so I thought I would share.

Tuna Salad
1 - can of tuna in water, drained
mayo
a bit of finely diced celery (can be omitted)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning (made by the McCormick Spice Co)

Flake the tuna and add enough mayo go give make it sticky (less is better than more.) Stir in the diced celery and add seasoning to taste. This was so good on whole wheat bread with tomatoes.

~Kathleen

[zeehag]

i make a salad that i serve hot---tuna, pasta right out of the pot, basil and or spinach -fresh only---onions, garlic--bell peppers if desired--salt to taste--serrano chile pepper---just a few slices off the fresh pepper--minced---mince the fresh garlic and chop onion, make tuna salad in a bowl with these.....add the pasta after draining...add the leafy greens to this and watch as they wilt into the pasta while folding/stirring together---add mayo to taste-not much---ta daa---salad--warm/hot salad!!!! lol-

[s/v Jedi]

About celery: we use celery-salt which keeps good forever and has a really good strong celery taste. It's perfect for salads but you must compensate with salt or other seasonings of course (use less).

cheers,
Nick.