The Galley - Must haves, Don't Needs, Wish List

[dinks14]

So we pulled the trigger and it's all working out (rather smoothly, which has us worried) that we'll be sailing our new (to us) liveaboard cruiser, a 1978 43' Gulfstar Mark II down to our marina this weekend! Over the next 3 weeks we'll be moving aboard and doing the purge of all of our land life possessions. We've already gotten rid of all the furniture and anything that for sure isn't going aboard but we haven't yet dealt with our kitchen. So I thought I'd get some advice from seasoned liveaboards...

What are the must-haves in the galley?

What did you move aboard that you ended up never needing/using?

If you had a wish list for your galley what would it be?

Do you really need to only use plastic plates, cups, etc?

Any refits to your storage/cabinetry that you did that was a gamechanger?

Moisture issues for cooking ingredients?

I really like to cook and can be pretty ambitious at times which I don't expect will stop once aboard, just change. I want to be sure we have what we need to cook up good, nutritious and hearty food to get through our first winter aboard in New Hampshire!

Any tips, lists, thoughts would be very appreciated!

Cheers!

[Sailormantx]

dinks14, no wish list for my galley, it is (overly) well equipped as I do enjoy cooking. A few thoughts on the galley: Skip the plastic stuff, it is hard to clean and gets ugly fast. Correlle looks great and is nearly unbreakable, I have dropped plates and bowls on deck with no breakage(yet). Glasses get wrapped in towels and put away when sailing, I use coffee mugs almost exclusively underway, they can be had cheap at any thrift store. West marine has a volcano shaped stainless coffee mug that that is impossible to tip over. Cast iron pans are great, just keep the oiled and never, never rinse in saltwater. A short piece of chain around pans on the oven rack will help keep them from sliding around when baking underway.
Electric gadgets work well enough on the inverter, but take up a lot of space, I only have a blender and coffee grinder.
In short, anything you use in a house will work afloat with a little care, just beware of getting galley toys that you seldom use as space is at a premium.

[ReMetau]

Second the Correlle plates and bowls.
I also suggest a nice pressure cooker since they cut down a lot of propane use.
We use stainless steel coffee cups and water bottles daily.
A nice set of knives.
We use a Seal-a-meal since we buy larger pieces of meat or whole chickens and then break them up on the boat and freeze.
Other than a few pans and utensils, most of what we have we got while on the boat.

[Wavewacker]

I found that bei it cooking on my boat or in the camper, what was needed was what was used mostly at home. My favorite utincels at home are the ones taken. I also like things that serve a multiple purpose, my old mess kit fork has an opening in the end of the handle that can open a bottle. What I eat at home is what I eat out, cooking in the same manner but usually in smaller quanities. You can always get rid of stuff as you narrow down what you use most. Unbreakable, I stay away from glass.

[Vasco]

Equip it like you would do at home. Just because you're on a boat doesn't mean you go camping. Most folks do not change their eating habits. So what you use at home will be fine. We do not use plastic dishes or glasses. We use a small food processor rather than the big home unit. That's the only "convenience" item we have. Get good pots and pans, not cheap ones. As for cooking ingredients, we get all new spices every year as we only cruise in the winter and the spices lose their potency. We do not use a barbecue so a good cast iron pan does the trick for steaks.

[Tortuga's Lie]

Ohhhh, ahhhhh...........galley gadgets
Things that I have found that we use on a daily basis is an insulated french press that holds about 4 mugs full: (or similar)
Planetary Design Table Top Stainless Steel French Presses 32oz Brushed Stainless: Amazon.com: Home & Kitchen

Pressure cooker is great for one-pot meals

9" cast iron skillet for searing, blackened fish etc

9" Scanpan non-stick (titanium/ceramic)

We also have a small set of good chef knives in a wooden knife block secured to the bulkhead with a shield that prevents knives from flying.

[Cheechako]

*Lightweight frying pan.
*You dont need a bunch of saucepans... only so many burners. I found that Revereware makes extra deep models. They dont come in the pan sets though. We ended up with just two a large and small in the extra deep ones.
*Pressure cooker.
*A single lever faucet is much easier to use and wastes less water.
*I always make a little shelf inside one lower cabinet door (usually under the sink) the trash can rests on that bungied to the door. Just swing it open to use.
*Forget electric appliances... unless you are really into blending etc.
*a small microwave is very nice. I found once in southern lattitudes, I drank way less coffee...or hot drinks... some days none. So heating one cup of water quickly without creating a bunch of heat is nice.
* A good filet knife!
* Insulated Glasses! Insulated Glasses!
The problem isnt as much storing a bunch of stuff you dont use much, it's rummaging around it to get to the stuff you DO use! KISS.

[nigel1]

Got some heavy pans which have handles that turn allowing for easy stowing, and a fold flat colander, that is neat, takes up very little room.
Same thoughts about the plastic plates, dont bother, look tatty very quickly

[Sailormantx]

Things that I have found that we use on a daily basis is an insulated french press that holds about 4 mugs full: (or similar)
Planetary Design Table Top Stainless Steel French Presses 32oz Brushed Stainless: Amazon.com: Home & Kitchen

This is the best,nearly 3 years and have not broken it. Used to use glass presses, but broke them on a regular basis in the sink. Tried some cheaper stainless models, they did not work so well.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by dinks14

So we pulled the trigger and it's all working out (rather smoothly, which has us worried) that we'll be sailing our new (to us) liveaboard cruiser, a 1978 43' Gulfstar Mark II down to our marina this weekend! Over the next 3 weeks we'll be moving aboard and doing the purge of all of our land life possessions. We've already gotten rid of all the furniture and anything that for sure isn't going aboard but we haven't yet dealt with our kitchen. So I thought I'd get some advice from seasoned liveaboards...

What are the must-haves in the galley?

What did you move aboard that you ended up never needing/using?

If you had a wish list for your galley what would it be?

Do you really need to only use plastic plates, cups, etc?

Any refits to your storage/cabinetry that you did that was a gamechanger?

Moisture issues for cooking ingredients?

I really like to cook and can be pretty ambitious at times which I don't expect will stop once aboard, just change. I want to be sure we have what we need to cook up good, nutritious and hearty food to get through our first winter aboard in New Hampshire!

Any tips, lists, thoughts would be very appreciated!

Cheers!

For moisture control, double zip-lock bag moisture sensitive stuff. The double bagging is a good idea anyway because maybe one of the bags won't close.

I wash my dishes in very little water by wiping them thoroughly with a paper towel first.

I don't have anything in my galley that can't serve three purposes. They don't all have to be galley-related, but I have no "one task only" items in my galley.

I've learned to do a lot of cooking in one pan. The last thing you want is lots of clean-up.

[ranger58sb]

A set of GOOD nesting post/pans, with removable handle. Welcome Aboard used to sell a set, I think made by Cuisinart; stainless with aluminum heat sink in the bases and the big lid is also a non-stick skillet. I saw recently that somebody else sells 'em, decent price, but sorry I can't remember who/where...

Corelle good. Small to medium crock pot useful is you have electricity. Pressure cooker good. Pyrex bakeware if you have a convection oven. Size everything to fit your storage.

-Chris

[tamicatana]

Here, check these sites. Also do a search here. This subject is well covered

The Boat Galley
The Boat Galley

Janet Groene's Boat Cook
Janet Groene's BoatCook

[kbudd]

Definitely a stainless french press and we have a set of cuisinart stainless nesting cookware that we really like. I would also be interested in talking to you about your Gulfstar. We have a 1979 Mk II. If you get a chance could you email me?
Thanks,
Kevin

[belizesailor]

Top on the list is our stainless french press. Very durable, can be rinsed in salt water with no effect, and double walled so that it keeps the coffee warm. Losing it would be a crisis -- so I have two aboard!

Thermos Nissan 34-Ounce Vacuum Insulated Stainless-Steel Gourmet Coffee Press: Amazon.com: Kitchen & Dining

We also have a good quality stainless thermos aboard which we top up for overnight legs.

Next up a good quality chef's knife or two.

I also keep a separate set of knives and cutting board just for cleaning fish -- that way I don't muck up the good stuff in the galley.

A machete for chopping coconuts.

And, an ice pick which was transitioned to the tool box.... Years ago on my first cruising boat, while I was cleaning out all the galley junk from the previous owner I found an ice pick. I thought, why do I need an ice pick on a boat that does not even have refrigeration? I thought about tossing it, but hung on it it. Countless times when I was trying to pick something out of a hole or align small parts...the ice pick would do the trick. Now, many years and several boats later, it still lives in my toolbox -- not in the galley.

[bobconnie]

All the above stuff is great!!, but here's some timey tricks !! Use a few grains of rice in your salt and pepper shakers! keeps em from turning in to a lump !! Rice will dry out a bunch of stuff, put it into a cloth bag and put in your sugar container, flour, ect you can also dry you small electronic stuff,(cell phones ect) In your rice container. just a couple of things Ive used to help out over the years !!