What are essential foods to bring?

[Bulawayo]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

I'm with you, Don. I don't like to cook underway either. Depending on conditions sometimes I don't even like to go below to get anything, let alone have to cook it. But once the anchor is down we really enjoy a good meal.

We have always been local cruisers i.e. our cruises were just a series of daysails, so we usually had hot breakfast (maybe) and dinner but lunch underway is always sandwich, leftovers, or something else that was prepared in advance. I would imagine on a multi-day passage I would try to manage to cook something because we simply enjoy eating a balanced diet too much to live on pbj and snack foods. (Maybe that's why we're not planning a lot of multi-day passages....)

But I am sure the OP is not going to be underway 24/7/365. There will be much time when he is anchored or at dock when he will want to eat something more nourishing and tasty than pop tarts and fruit leathers. At least I hope so.

My wife was the same until we moved to cats - now she can cook without any issues. However, why not prepare meals in foil containers wrapped in tin foil? One hour in a hot oven (or in the Magma if its not too windy) and you have a piping hot meal that does not matter if its had an extra 10 minutes or so?

[Stu Jackson]

And don't forget the chicken noodle soup.

In case you get a cold.

[FamilyVan]

These boil in a bag curries are delicious. They're in a sealed bag, you put the bag in boiling water, 5 minutes later you have a hot, delicious healthy (high in sodium though) curry to acompany minute rice. Its a great underway meal.

I take one pot, put it on stove, add two flavours of boil in a bag curry- one veg, one legume, bring to a boil. Remove bags add minute rice to same boiling water and boom, dinner for 4. The only preservative added is salt, aside from that the ingredients are all recognisable vegetables and spices. I buy them in the international section at most grocery stores, although, I suspect availability in other countries might not be as good as they are an import from India (likely common in UK).

Really good for making under way, my wife has seasickness issues like some of the above, so I do all cooking under way (and I suck at cooking).

The downside is they are expensive, about $4-5 per packet.

This is excellent sailing food. Any body who has spent time with Sherpas and Gurungs has heard the saying "Dhal Bhat, 24 hour power". These guys will eat a plate of runny lentil porridge spread over rice (dhal bhatt) cooked over a yack dung fire and then carry some soft westerners 75lb bag for him over 15 km of insanely rough terrain and or glaciers in flip flops.


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[Don C L]

Mm mm. Runny lentil porridge cooked over yak dung. Now is that yak dung widely available worldwide? Need a vented hatch for that I bet.

[northoceanbeach]

I do have the propane already though. It is just mounted outside on the side back by the grill. I probably don't want to run it inside the boat and hook it to a stove. I could though. Have like a t fitting I think it's called? So it can either go to the grill or a stove inside. That was going to be my plan for the last boat.

[Ziggy]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

[...]Dried fruit (sultanas, cranberries, apricots, dates, prunes, goji berries)[...]

What are goji berries?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

My wife was the same until we moved to cats - now she can cook without any issues. However, why not prepare meals in foil containers wrapped in tin foil? One hour in a hot oven (or in the Magma if its not too windy) and you have a piping hot meal that does not matter if its had an extra 10 minutes or so?

Aah yes, cats. The other white meat. I always have a couple of boned out moggies in the freezer
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Oh, you meant catamaran. Silly me!

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by northoceanbeach

I do have the propane already though. It is just mounted outside on the side back by the grill. I probably don't want to run it inside the boat and hook it to a stove. I could though. Have like a t fitting I think it's called? So it can either go to the grill or a stove inside. That was going to be my plan for the last boat.

If you prefer propane, get propane

I have a propane grill too. I just use the alcohol inside.

I wasn't trying to talk you out of propane, just give you what I thought would be the easiest solution.

I only defended alcohol because of the weird unfounded anti alcohol sentiments. Cooking with gas is fast, no doubt about it.

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[Don C L]

What? Propane? You sure you don't want to try yak dung?

[FamilyVan]

If I was making up tales about Yak dung, I wouldn't have this pic of me on Anna Purna II. Nearly 6000 feet above the highest peak in the Alps (mont blanc).

Carry propane up there, my cruising friends.

Anna Purna was made famous in a snow storm in 2014 when 43 people were over come by a single blizzard and died including many Canadians.

My opinion is, if you can't find cooking fuel, you suck as an outdoorsman.

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[FamilyVan]

Any body can reach Anna Purna, tough guys get on top of Manaslu, #8 peak in the world, oh shoot, we forgot to bring a porter!

[FamilyVan]

This would be Manaslu, 8th highest peak in the world. Oh shoot, no propane stoves. We walked 300km since the last road? Luckily, we didn't die of dehydration because basically nothing burns at that altitude- oh, we did something cruisers are apparently too stupid or inept to do, we planned ahead!

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Ziggy

What are goji berries?

They are little orangy-red berries that have been considered a "super food" in China for thousands of years and became trendy in the western world about a decade or two ago. How much better they are compared to other berries is questionable (all berries are high in antioxidants and nutrients), but they are the only dried berries easy to source here in Greece.

You need to need careful eating them if you are taking any medication, as they do interact with some drugs like Warfarin.

They are a bit of an acquired taste and not as sweet as other dried fruit, but I enjoy munching on them. As an added benefit there is always the thought that they may help to counteract all the chocolate I consume .

SWL

[capt ric]

so watcha lookin for up there...just taking a hike???

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by FamilyVan

This would be Manaslu, 8th highest peak in the world. Oh shoot, no propane stoves. We walked 300km since the last road? Luckily, we didn't die of dehydration because basically nothing burns at that altitude- oh, we did something cruisers are apparently too stupid or inept to do, we planned ahead!

You are right! I have been delinquent! From now on I will be well stocked with runny lentil porridge and Yak dung! Uh, did you happen to bring any back with you?