What is your best provisioning tip?

[oldsalt_1942]

Originally Posted by Inthewind

Rice goes with anything and a good staple, carry a 20 pound berlap sack of it.

I love rice and naturally stocked up before leaving for a nine-month cruise in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. BIG TIP...if you're travelling anywhere in latin America a two-pound bag bought in the States will last forever. They LIVE on rice and beans in countries below the Rio Grande so there's no need to tote it with you. Peanut butter, on the other hand, is abysmal anywhere outside the good old USA.

[oldsalt_1942]

Originally Posted by livingstone

Whats the deal with pressure cookers? Is it because they're faster and so use less energy or what?

When underway cooking in a pressure cooker with the lid on, but not under pressure, will save you a lot of clean up time should it fall off the stove and onto the cabin sole.

[tyrntlzrdking]

Originally Posted by Chrisc

A little off topic I know,but,
Years ago when I was single handing, I was in Recife, Brasil and needed to re-provision for the next leg of the voyage to the West Indies. What I needed was tinned meat (no refrigeration) and it was a little hard to find in the supermarket but eventually I found some cans of what appeared to contain some sort of meatballs. Like most dumb Kiwis, I could only speak English so couldn't read what was written on the can, but the picture looked O.K so I bought two cases.
Arriving in Trinidad, I was visited by two gentlemen who welcomed me to Port of Spain and invited me to visit the yacht club. One of these gentlemen picked up the last remaining tin of meat balls from the galley bench top and obviously bi lingual, was reading the label. After a moment's contemplation on the can he asked me, a little uncertainly, if perhaps I was sailing with a dog?

Chris

So Chris, do you suggest I (and others) purchase dog meat balls?
How did they taste? Was it less expensive than human food?
Did you feel alright after eating two cases?
You might be on to a good idea here.
Have you ever compared with cat meat balls?
Ha ha ha.

Thanks.

[Wahoo]

Do you have a shiney coat now?

Wahoo

[Cowboy Sailer]

Chris,

My wife wants to know, "did you finish up that last can?"

[scotte]

Chris' story is a classic, thanks for the laugh. I could see Tristan Jones writing that, it somehow reminds of the cheese incident from 'Saga of a Wayward Sailor'... "Hey Tristan, you like der cheese?"

[bobsadler]

- vaccuum bagger
- pressure cooker
- non-stick cookware

[seabreeze1960]

Originally Posted by starfish62

Pressure cooker is a must! I have a recipe for pressure cooker bread that actually works. The vacuum pack thing sounds like a great idea. It would have been nice to have something dry after a rainy passage!

wow....bread sounds great.....would you be willing to share the recipe? Thanks!

[Tahiti Rover]

I posted the following in response to a related food and provisioning topic at another location on Cruisers Forum. My apologies to anyone who has already read it:


There's really no reason not have fresh veggies, meats (not tinned), and dairy (eggs, cheese and milk) on board without refrigeration. It's been done for decades, and somehow the information on how to do it just gets lost every ten years or so.

To begin with, there really is no reason to require perishables for longer than 30 days. Break out your charts and you will see that there really are no legs of a circumnavigation that will have you out of touch with land (and supplies) for more than 30 days unless you have a really slow boat, or encounter really awful contrary weather. The passage from the Panama Canal to Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia, for instance, is one of the longest, and sometimes takes a small monohull 5 weeks.

Of course, the prudent sailor always plans for the unexpected, so stocking up to cover a month and a half is recommended.

About the only reason to stock some items for a greater period of time is if you know beforehand that some of your favorite foods are either not available at your destination, or are uncommonly expensive. Stocking for only 45 days really simplifies your provisioning. After your dry stores like flour, yeast, baking powder, rice, beans, pasta, coffee, tea, powdered drink mixes, dry sausage and salami, salt/pepper and spices, you move on to cooking oil, vinegar and sauces like soy and maybe a Thai fish sauce.

If you're pressure cooker savvy, and most Americans, unlike almost all British, Europeans, Aussies and New Zealanders, are not, you will process beef, pork, dark and white meat chicken, and maybe lamb, thus have a wide range of chemical-free meats to accompany your meals. You can also process your own favorite meat sauces, salsas, chutneys, etc. for really quick and simple meal preparation at sea. You may process veggies in the pressure cooker, to, but I prefer to use the old country style of holding fresh, raw vegetables in a diluted vinegar and water mixture so I have a choice as to whether to use the veggies raw in a salad or cook them as an ingredient in a recipe. A variety of cheeses may be kept for months without refrigeration simply be putting in sterilized jars and covered with extra virgin olive oil. Eggs do not have to be lightly boiled, or smeared with Vaseline or oil. Just store them away from heat and turn then every day, or at least every other day. For details on all of these techniques and much more, get a copy of "Gourmet Underway - A Sailor's Cookbook." See the book's website, www.gourmetunderway.com.

I totally agree with the other contributors who are stressing "Learn How to Cook." Most people, not just Americans, are poor cooks because they have received no formal training, and have little practice. To that advice I would also add: "Learn How to Fish." Sailboat voyagers of my acquaintance (I lived at the Panama Canal for 14 years and met quite a few) are notoriously poor fishermen. That is a real shame when you consider the abundance of food just for the catching. I recommend to everyone to acquire a copy of "The Cruiser's Handbook of Fishing," by Scott & Wendy Bannerot. It's 400+ pages of everything you need to know about catching fish from your boat and your dinghy.

I believe the galley deserves as much attention as the choice of sails and ground tackle. Jack Hanna, designer of perhaps the most famous cruising sailboat of all time, the Tahiti Ketch, once said, "the only detail that really matters in a sailboat is a full, man-sized, actual, practicable working of a galley, for indigestion has wrecked more cruises than rocks and hurricanes.

Bon appetit,

Robbie

[traumamamma]

Originally Posted by toewsrus

A lot of you talked about pressure cookers.

I've owned a pressure cooker, but never used it because I thought they were dangerous. Are they still or have they gotten better.

What are the benefits of using one.

Thanks

Debi

Lots of benefits, Debi! First, there is the reduction in fuel to cook....cooking times in a pressure cooker can be as much as 3/4 less than regular cooking. Second, the cooker has a sealed lid, which has saved dinner from the floor more than once when the cooker was tossed off the stove in rough seas...then you can bake in it, boil in it, can foods in it, use it to handwash undies in...., etc. Every boat should own one for the saving of fuel alone! Hope this helps!

[hellosailor]

They are incredibly dangerous, they require the use of a flame or high temperature source. It is really much safer to stick to foods the can be eaten cold, uncooked. Grease fires, kitchen fires, oven fires, ask any fire department how dangerous all these "cooking" things can be.

[Teknav]

Stock up on cheeses, crackers, fresh fruits and vegetables. Buy less meats, poultry and fish.

Mauritz
Knows and sees all...

[Amnesia II]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

They are incredibly dangerous, they require the use of a flame or high temperature source. It is really much safer to stick to foods the can be eaten cold, uncooked. Grease fires, kitchen fires, oven fires, ask any fire department how dangerous all these "cooking" things can be.

If I'm reading this right it's a bizare statement! I boil my kettle on the stove, cook every meal on the stove and make bread in the oven. I also have a pressure cooker which is wonderful for soups and stews in a fraction of the time....turned down to low heat too!

If you want to do silly things with pressure cookers, areosol sprays, guns, motor cars or dare I say boats then yes these things can be dangerous!

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by toewsrus

A lot of you talked about pressure cookers.

I've owned a pressure cooker, but never used it because I thought they were dangerous. Are they still or have they gotten better.

What are the benefits of using one.

Thanks

Debi

The pressure cookers of decades past did have their share of issues. The new ones have safety valves that should prevent the pressure getting too high. I prefer the stainless steel version over aluminum because stainless is much stronger.

Cooking times are much less and fuel us saved. Food is contained and minimal dishes to be washed.
SC

[D&D]

Originally Posted by traumamamma

cooking times in a pressure cooker can be as much as 3/4 less than regular cooking....Every boat should own one for the saving of fuel alone!

...and if you really want to save fuel when cooking, use a thermal cooker. Thermally cooked meals require a small fraction of the time (and fuel!) of any stove top or oven cooked process...and, with a bit of planning, they're hot and ready-to-eat over a long 'window', i.e. whenever you arrive; or when it suits your guests; or when it suits the weather; or when you feel hungry!

Thermal cookers are brilliant units. Simple. Safe. Easy to use. They prepare a huge variety of foods. We love ours and use it all the time, including this yummy carrot cake...

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Thermal Cookware, Floating Impressions