Pressure or Slow Cooker, What's Best for Cooking Onboard

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

SL+1. Between having to haul propane, Having less space to prepare food, usually wanting to keep heat out of the galley, Limited electricity and limited funds when cruising, cooking on a boat is much different in my experience than cooking on land. And almost forgot limited refrigeration space or no refrigeration. EDIT: when I was on land food preservation didn't even cross my mind except for camping trips.

Yes, I forgot heating of the interior as well .

Hauling propane is a big issue. We prefer deserted anchorages. We are never tied to shore (apart from haulout every two years) so both sourcing and transporting propane is a big deal. Our propane tanks are 10-12 kg and just getting one into the dinghy while at anchor, dragging the dinghy ashore, carrying the tank across the beach to the closest road and trying to get to the nearest gas place is a big deal. Minimal gas usage is critical for me.

Originally Posted by valhalla360

I think this depends greatly on how you cooked at home and how you cruise.

If you are primarily at anchor with no generator, limited power supply may drive you to low power options whether you like it or not. But even at anchor as long as you have a decent propane supply, stove top and oven cooking doesn't change drastically.

If you stay at marinas or have a generator (oh the horror!!!), you will likely cook the same as when you are at home.

Growing up we had a pressure cooker and used it a couple times a week. We don't currently own one.

I am well out of your 'horror' category . We never stay in marinas, and rely purely on solar and propane for energy. As propane is dreadfully hard to source in all the deserted anchorages we prefer, low power usage is definitely a big deal for me, hence the extensive use of a pressure cooker.

[zeehag]

those of us who are full time cruisers cook same as when we used to be land based. i threw out my microwave in 1994 and have no regrets about that, as i didnt like th e change of flavor produced by microwave cooking. yes it makes a difference. i also had no electric bs in my kitchen on land--very inefficient and pricey,. my land based electric bill for a month WITH AIR COND was 17 usd.
yes i had fridge, growing boy, etc...lol.. tv, one... no video games and no puters.
i made a lot of money back in the day..and gave it all away.
funny how i have more fancy dancy bs stuff now with low usd disability income than i had when i made 90,000-100,000 usd annually.. but i only have electric coffee grinder fro use when my hands do not wish to cooperate. i usually use a manual grinder. i used manual grinders since 1990.. why should i change.
my galley is same as my kitchen was in my land based home. i still see no reason to add electrical nonesense or other items i do not have any reason to use, nor desire to use.
i have always cooked with gas, and i will continue to so do-- in many senses of the phrase.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Yes, I forgot heating of the interior as well .


I am well out of your 'horror' category . We never stay in marinas, and rely purely on solar and propane for energy. As propane is dreadfully hard to source in all the deserted anchorages we prefer, low power usage is definitely a big deal for me, hence the extensive use of a pressure cooker.

So we are in agreement, how you cruise matters (though you took the elitist bait and swallowed it whole). If you cruise 1930's style, you will eat and cook differently but you would do that if you lived 1930's style with an icebox and limited or no electricity in a house.

I will agree heating the interior is an issue but that's a win for electricity as we will put a slow cooker on the back deck or even use the electric fry pan outside also.

[zeehag]

label your own era, pal. i have air cond and cruise tropics. i cook how i want.. jus thatae microwaves as they create a foul flavor in meats.
if you cruise 1930s, then label. otherwise, judge NOT lest you be judged.
it is a lot more convenient to SAIL a boat without the crap ye want to load into your boat . remember everything brought in must be stowed for passage making and that spave could be used for something important

[Tortuga's Lie]

So much of the issue is also dependent on the size of the boat. Obviously, the larger the boat, the greater capacity of propane, generators etc, plus a larger boat will dissipate the generated by cooking much more readily than a smaller boat with a smaller galley. I have a pressure cooker and use it occasionally but would like to use it more so once I learn better recipes............

[Scot McPherson]

I have to be honest. I take a more traditional approach to cooking. At home, I use almost exclusively, cast iron (Dutch oven, two skillets, and two griddles which are basically skillets without sides) a stainless sauce pan for sauces and I have one Teflon pot for boiling water/pasta/etc, and a cast iron WOK for Asian or other high volume stir fry.

I also use my oven with a cookie sheet, muffin tray, a casserole, and sometimes the above mentioned skillets.

Moving that on board is to just bring the two skillets,
Wok, Dutch oven and pot to boil, plus cookie sheet and or muffins pan. The cast iron is multipurpose, can use for frying, baking in the oven and lot of other uses.

Cuts down a lot on equipment needed. Just need a couple burners and the oven.

I don't use the microwave, though the GF does...sigh...

[NornaBiron]

We are full time cruisers who also very rarely tie to the shore, maybe for one or two nights each year. Sourcing and transporting propane is an issue for us, therefore we try to make our bottle of gas last as long as possible.

I cook very differently from how I did when I was working 50+ hours a week with a daily 2 hour commute etc. I now have time to consider meals more fully and I make full use of my pressure cooker, thermos flask and Wonderbag to conserve propane, reduce heat in the cabin and produce healthy, tasty meals. I would never have considered using any of those items for cooking when I lived in a house with unlimited power and space - speed was the issue then.

We have become 90% vegetarian since beginning our cruising life, due to the problems with storing meat in minimal refrigeration space and the cost of meat versus dried beans and pulses. As a result we are healthier and happier, and we have a few more euros in our pockets for a treat ashore.

[Pete7]

We use one of these at home for curries etc and I keep meaning to try it on the boat. Ours is 120w at 240v so can run off an inverter.

Buy Cookworks SC-15-R 1.5L Compact Slow Cooker - White at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Slow cookers.

Pete

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by NornaBiron

I cook very differently from how I did when I was working 50+ hours a week with a daily 2 hour commute etc. I now have time to consider meals more fully and I make full use of my pressure cooker, thermos flask and Wonderbag to conserve propane, reduce heat in the cabin and produce healthy, tasty meals. I would never have considered using any of those items for cooking when I lived in a house with unlimited power and space - speed was the issue then.

Maybe I'm a little out of touch, but as NornaBiron mentions, isn't the entire point of going Cruising to do things different than back in the rat race? Learn new things, have new experiences, from cooking to culture? A big point of "Cruise Failure" I see is that people want to transfer too much of their old life to their life aboard....why go cruising then? Learn to use a pressure cooker for more reasons than it makes great food in less time while using less energy. Use a pressure cooker because you haven't used one before! Dive in and and let go of the preprocessed nutritionless stuff we call food these days in the world you are trying to get away from.

Done right....cruising doesn't just change your cooking habits, it changes your very soul.

[levm]

I fully agree with SV, cruising is not just a way to get from point A to point B, it's a lifestyle very different from when we lived on land.
Since I installed solar panels on my boa (600w) I use the slow cooker exclusively. It uses no propane and does not heat the interior of the boat. Most important I put all the ingredients into the pot, turn it on and go do something else for two three hours. it always works, taste great and the boat smells so homey.
Would not have it any other way.


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[leftbrainstuff]

Pressure cooker. Sealing lid stops spillage, use less gas and is also a standard pot. We have a fissler low line. We don't use the dutch oven and have just removed it. The fissler also has a glass lid so it doubles as fry pan. It also has a dimpled bottom inside so no burnt offerings.

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