Storage Containers

[wunderluster]

I have several Rubbermaid collapsible containers that I've used for several years. They are great space savers because even in use, if they are not full, you can leave them partially collapsed. They one drawback is that if they are really full the lids aren't very secure.

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by Kindle

Good luck and take your time finding the perfect containers. Work until you get it just right for you and your boat! (PS places like TJMAXX, and Ross often have high quality containers at discounted prices)

Do you have any pictures of your galley or storage lockers-might help to give specific suggestions?

I love planning out storage and my kitchen on land was ideally laid out [for me]. So when moving to the boat I took my time and really planned what and how I wanted to store with easily accessible, long term, dry, canned goods well thought out.

After another shopping trip to get all containers I needed as I was carrying them to our boat, one live-aboard said in passing "just remember that in a year's time you'll change most of this". I did not take him too seriously - after all I knew exactly what and how would work in my kitchen. Well, after some time had passed (actually 10K miles in my case) I reorganized and changed a lot of the containers I had been using. And also almost completely reorganised all lockers. Now it works as it should.

So maybe it would be worth it not to go all out on various containers in the beginning. Live on the boat and see what and how you will really use.

What also worked brilliantly for me was a vacuum sealer. I got mine from Costco with the special plastic bags. Yes, they are a bit more money, but these plastic bags are STURDY (I have them against the hull in those awkward spaces and they take all sorts of abuse without a tiniest hole). I store pretty much all dry goods long term in them: pasta, flour (measured in 6-10 cup bags), grains, etc. Once I open a vacuumed bag I do not reseal it, but pour out the contents into a plastic container for more or less immediate usage. This way I can reuse the same bag for new foods.

These pags weigh less, take up less space than containers, stack much better, keep dry goods (especially flour) fresh for much longer, and it's a good excuse to get rid of paper bags that everything is sold in. If you need to keep instructions from the box, I cut them out, and add them to the bag.

I have been most amazed about the flour: when we were cruising in the Status, I got some really good bread flour that, of course, I vacuum sealed. 2-3 years past the expiry date and the flour looks and behaves just like fresh! And no bugs, no worries about it getting wet.

Yes, vacuuming takes a bit more work, but for me it's really worth it.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by Katiusha

Yes, vacuuming takes a bit more work, but for me it's really worth it.

Can you find replacement bags outside the US (or Canada)? I have a vac sealer, but was worried about getting new bags.

[Kindle]

Originally Posted by Katiusha

I love planning out storage and my kitchen on land was ideally laid out [for me]. So when moving to the boat I took my time and really planned what and how I wanted to store with easily accessible, long term, dry, canned goods well thought out.

After another shopping trip to get all containers I needed as I was carrying them to our boat, one live-aboard said in passing "just remember that in a year's time you'll change most of this". I did not take him too seriously - after all I knew exactly what and how would work in my kitchen. Well, after some time had passed (actually 10K miles in my case) I reorganized and changed a lot of the containers I had been using. And also almost completely reorganised all lockers. Now it works as it should.

So maybe it would be worth it not to go all out on various containers in the beginning. Live on the boat and see what and how you will really use.

What also worked brilliantly for me was a vacuum sealer. .

That is really sound advice! Such a balance to find between:
1) what do i need and how much do I need
2) what do i need to access easily/repeatedly/what can i store far far in the depths/how do I store once opened
3) what is the best container use for this food
4) what storage container works the best for this locker

sometimes in can be hard to get #2, #3, and #4 to match up. (right locker, right container, wrong food......right food, right locker, wrong container.)

The vacume sealer is Great. Literally not storing air- which is the primary problem with hard containers. Wastes no space, fits into any shape, and extends food life exponentially. Can change your mind of where you want to store items easily.


One more layout suggestion to consider-
If you have dry storage under the counter where you pull up the counter to access, consider storing your prepared snacks there. That type of locker is quick to open unless you are half way through prepping a meal and it is covered with dishes and ingredients!! I have one these lockers and I use it to store snacks and between-meal items like granola bars, flavored crackers, cookies. The on watch crew, visitors, my husband can easily find something to eat without opening cabinets and I have never needed to open it while preparing a meal.

Deborah

[nwdiver]

I have the Food Saver vacuum sealer, and can see its use for flour and rice, but I use mine for fish, when I catch several salmon, I steak or fillet them then vacuum seal them and freeze, they hold for a long time when vacuum sealed. I always have more than a meal when fishing.

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

Can you find replacement bags outside the US (or Canada)? I have a vac sealer, but was worried about getting new bags.

I seem to remember that French territories (Guadeloupe and St. Martin) had the bags. US Caribbean has them. Turkey has the bags but only in select [bigger, more Westernised] stores. Did not check in other countries.

I use the bag only once per batch for long term storage and then reuse it for another portion, so I'm just on my 4th roll over 3 years. One thing that I will do better next time is: some things come only in small packs (like baking powder, spices, and exotic grains and beans) and I don't need big quantities of them. For this small rolls work better. Others, like pasta and flour, require big rolls. Turns out I need more smaller bags. I had 2 big rolls and 2 small rolls, so at the end I'm having to use bigger bags for small quantities thus wasting some bag area.

Just remember to make the bag longer than what you need because every time you open the bag you have to cut off the sealed edge. So your bag will get smaller and smaller with use.

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

I have the Food Saver vacuum sealer, and can see its use for flour and rice, but I use mine for fish, when I catch several salmon, I steak or fillet them then vacuum seal them and freeze, they hold for a long time when vacuum sealed. I always have more than a meal when fishing.

Ha! We do put fish in the Food Saver bags as well, but not into freezer as none on board. It's like curing or salting the fish. Filet and cut into thinnish pieces, and put in the bag together with salt, a bit of vinegar, and spices like garlic (or onion), cloves, pepper, etc according to your taste. Vacuum, but stop the vacuum and seal it when the juices get to the edge of the bag. Put it in the fridge for a few hours to 3 days. Serve it with some bread and veggies. Works very well with fatty fish, like herring or wahoo. For salmon a simple gravlax recipe, just prepared in a vacuumed bag, would work better though.

[svBeBe]

Chalk up another one for Lock 'n Lock. The sterite ones do not hold up and get brittle and also do not seal properly. Lock 'n Lock always seals properly and last years. They NEVER leak because the lid wasn't put on correctly since you cannot put a lid on wrong. Real Tupperware also last years and seals properly, although not as effectively as the Lock 'n Lock. And Tupperware makes certain items that Lock 'n Lock does not, like the pour containers for cereals.

Rubbermaid also makes rectangular storage containers with rounded corners. The wide seal on the lid is flexible. These also work well and are space efficient for leftovers in the fridge. I have 4 pint size and 4 qt size that are 10 years old and still just as good as new.

To meet all your storage needs you probably will want a variety of different brands and shapes and sizes.

Judy
S/V BeBe

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

Can you find replacement bags outside the US (or Canada)? I have a vac sealer, but was worried about getting new bags.

I found the bags in New Zealand and Australia and very few other countries. However, I have never seen the rolls anywhere outside the USA. Every time we make a trip home to visit we load up on a large box or 2 of the rolls. We load up our carry-on backpacks on the flight back to the boat. The rolls allow you to make bags of whatever size needed. Those pre-made bags rarely are the right size for whatever I want to store. Seems like they are either not large enough or are too large and wasteful. Rarely the correct size for the job needed.

One caveat. Do not completely vacuum seal all-purpose flour or it will form small hard-as-rocks clumps that will not break up when sifted. Only seal all-purpose flour to the 'soft bag with no excess air' stage, not rock solid vacuum sealed. Bread flour (a/k/a strong flour) does vacuum seal just fine, as does cake flour. Only the all-purpose type clumps when thoroughly vacuum sealed. BTW, I have bread flour that was vacuum sealed in March 2008 that is still fresh as one could possibly want today.

I don't know how anyone lives on a boat without a vacuum-sealer.

Judy
S/V BeBe
currently in Northern Cyprus

[SaucySailoress]

1 - Ziploc bags. Freezer bags are heavy duty. They have triple seals, that don't break for any reason... and we can reuse them over and over. They are great for squishing food into funny corners, and I store the tape in them too...

2 - Freezer containers. These always have great seals. Our current favourite are a Kuwaiti brand, KDD. They are round, 1 litre containers. Yes, there are tine spaces betwen them, but they are the perfect heignt for our pantry cupboard, so no space wasted above them, and we can squish little things between them when space is desperate. I like this brand cos the label peel off. They also have 5l containers, which we use in the house for keeping flour and rice etc in....

Everything goes into these containers on the boat to keep moisture out, and in the house to keep roaches and weevils out

[zeehag]

looked up lock n lock in google--is australian. no wonder i couldnt find that stuff where i have been and am currently.
as shipping to my locale is prohibitive, i will continue to use the cheap containers i can buy 3 or 4 for a couplafew dollars in any grocery store, even in mexico. they work well and dont spill when ye put the top[s on correctly. they even stack nicely in cabinets.
these are made by glad ziplok and a few other companies that also make wrapping and bagging thingies. cheap n easy.
i also use ziplock and other locking baggies-- the freezer kind, as they are tougher and last longer.
yes i also wash out my baggies for re use. why waste perfectly good plastic!

[sailorchic34]

For Vacuum sealers, you can use any type of plastic bag, not just the special ones made or priced for it. I use gallon zip lock bags, and cut them in half to store spaghetti or other pasta or beans, for example, sealing the open ends shut.

They work exactly like the special vacuum bags but are less expensive. I tend to separate and seal in meal sized portions. At a 2-3 cents a per bag its pretty inexpensive.

[Mexdon]

Originally Posted by zeehag

looked up lock n lock in google--is australian. no wonder i couldnt find that stuff where i have been and am currently.
as shipping to my locale is prohibitive,

In Mexico there is a Lock n Lock type container called POPIT that is available in most supermarkets, I know Soriana stock them, not cheap cheap but very good a sealing. They come in a variety of sizes so are convenient for lesser quantities.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

Rather than vacuum sealing random amounts of flour, I measure the flour I regularly use -- six and two-thirds cups of whole wheat flour for two loaves of bread -- and vacuum seal that measured quantity. No measuring in a rolling boat.

[Kindle]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

Rather than vacuum sealing random amounts of flour, I measure the flour I regularly use -- six and two-thirds cups of whole wheat flour for two loaves of bread -- and vacuum seal that measured quantity. No measuring in a rolling boat.

ooooh- I like that idea!