The Most Basic Essential Foods

[Janice]

When preparing for our cruise I was having a hard time getting started. With a spreadsheet someone else had done I deleted all the item I never used before moving on to the boat and added others . I changed and changed the spreadsheet and finally puchased the items and stored them on the boat. We cruised the Bahamas first and food is very expensive so I loaded up for months. A few months later I changed the spreadsheet again increasing items we had to buy often. Provitioning is very difficult in some areas and fun and exciting in others. I purchased canned Chicken and Beef before we left, I never purchased for use at home but loved them on the boat. So some things change but mostly it is how they are packaged.

You will cook a bit differently on the boat but not so much at the beginning. Write down everything you make at home for quick and easy meals. Keep track of what groceries you buy. this will help you determine what you should start off with.

[perchance]

We mustn't forget those two nautical staples, wormy biscuits and salt horse.

[captainron369]

Tabasco or some other hot sauce. If something tastes bad then just add hot sauce.

[captainron369]

Actually the key to cooking aboard as well as on land is to use spices liberally. Garlic and ginger, cumin, salt, pepper, dried mustard, oregano, and rosemary are essentials. With those you can make almost anything edible. I use a lot of dried products and then add water or chicken/beef/fish stock to rehydrate. Dried fruits are good too.

[DannySt]

I would add nutella as a must, dried tomatoes, salted capers, and eggplants.

[hellosailor]

I discovered Nutella late in life, but won't touch it any more. Two words: Hydrogenated Fats. Unless they've gotten the hydrogenated oils out of it, there are really healthier foods to eat.

[Adax]

Hello sailor,

don´t write off Nutella just yet . Looka t the ingredients and where it is made . I believe the Italian and the Canadian produced ones and the Walmart cheap brand don't have them . But it has been a while since I last checked, so that may well have changed .

[hellosailor]

"Is the modified palm oil in Nutella® hydrogenated?
No. The modified palm oil is a mix of the liquid and solid oil naturally extracted from the fruit of the palm. The mix is adjusted to assure the best consistency for easy spreading. The process also reduces the level of saturated fat. Per serving Nutella® has 0 gram transfat (see label)."
Apparently they have changed with the times! Palm oil itself being an entirely different question these days.

[Jetexas]

Maybe someone already said it because I haven't read the entire thread, but Bisquick is magical. While backpacking I have made biscuits, breads, pancakes, cobblers, etc. from that stuff. It all just depends on the thickness of the batter and the manner in which you bake it. No eggs or milk required. Bring along some canned pie fillings if you want to make upside down cakes or cobblers with it.

Oatmeal always seems to provide good bang for the buck as well.

[pressuredrop]

lentils - red green and french
beans - red and black
split peas - green and yellow
quinoa
assortment of rices

eggs
oats
peanut butter (and not that jif crap, real peanut butter)

potatoes
squashes
and and all fresh fruits and vegatables that will keep well

dried fruit - figs, dates, apricots

nuts - almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans

coconut oil
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
honey

salt
pepper
cumin
cayenne
garlic powder
other spices...

did i miss anything?
(can you tell i dont have a fridge? )

[Auspicious]

Lurker Beast made the single most cogent comment and wasn't recognized:

"IF YOU DON'T EAT IT AT HOME THEN DON'T BRING IT ON THE BOAT."

Start cooking now the way you think you will at sea. It will be the single most useful experience you will have contributing to what you will really do.

No McDonalds, no Subway, no TGIF -- just you and what you put on the boat. Practice NOW while you can learn and adjust. Plan to bake bread at sea? Stop buying bread and start baking.

I'm a foodie and will leave out some of the more obscure stuff I do (like making mayonnaise from scratch).

I live on my boat. I cruise. I do deliveries (and most of the cooking). Here are some things I have learned, sometimes in conflict with "what everyone knows," "what all the books say," and what the cut & paste sailors post.

- nets are a nightmare for fresh food. No matter what orientation you hang them in they will cut through the flesh of fruits and veg and make a huge mess. Nets are great for clothes and okay for things in boxes.

- the closer you can get to raw ingredients the longer things will last and the more flexible you will be. For example - look at the ingredients for Bisquick or pancake mix -- they are all already on your list! You can make your own in small batches between passages.

- you can't beat Lock-n-Lock for storage. Foodsaver vacuum sealers are the bomb.

- don't buy anything in bulk you haven't tried. We haven't found a canned ham yet that is acceptable to us. Just gross. YMMV. Don't buy a case of something you haven't eaten.

- dried backpacking foods and prepared foods are expensive.

- read Lurker Beast's advise again. Start cooking.

- get good knives. Get a couple of good pots, a high lip pan, and a good pressure cooker. Don't buy sets. Buy one at a time and try them out and integrate into your cooking before branching out to the next thing.

There are lots of other things that work great for me, but until you start cooking for real and come to understand your own style and expectations my successes may not be useful to you.

sail fast and eat well, dave

[Astrid]

A few things I like to have along are tinned pilot bread (hardtack), tinned butter, tinned powdered milk, and powdered eggs. Being in tins they have a long shelf life.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by Astrid

A few things I like to have along are tinned pilot bread (hardtack), tinned butter, tinned powdered milk, and powdered eggs. Being in tins they have a long shelf life.

Don't forget tinned fruit. It keeps well. Also a tin crusher for compacting the empty tins might be a good idea.

[MarkJ]

We have a new one we have been experimenting with in the last few months: Textured Soy Vegetable Protein.

It comes in a box and after rehydrating with 2 parts water looks like ground mince meat. Taste is by what stock you use as the liquid its rehydrated with.

Uses: Don't use by itself!!!!!!!!!!
1 Table spoon in every meat or fish dish, pasta sauce, curry, where it can be disguised.

With, say, a can of tuna & can of tomatoes in a pasta sauce one or 2 tablespoons won't be noticed but will bulk up the meat component both visually, protein wise, and by making a meal more substantially sized.

1 packet lasts for ever and it really is the most economical form of 'meat' and protein we've encountered.

Mark

[SaucySailoress]

I used Soy Mince to make a chilli for the hard core omnivores on the Hash (House Harriers); and they didn't know it wasn't the real deal (all the sweeter 'cos it had been made quite clear that some didn't want to eat my vegetarian slops).