Recipes for no fridge long distance boats

[nick]

Do you guys have any really good food ideas up your sleeves, for boats without fridges and going long distances with little fresh produce? I'm thinking potato based dishes, lentils, chick peas etc.

One of my favourites is long-life tortilla bread, with Maggi canned bean mexican stuff on the inside. Up until now, I've been using a long of pre-made pasta (like, macaroni stuff), but my budget is getting less and less, and these pre-made things are actually quite expensive. Not to mention always way too salty.

I also do potatoes in the pressure cooker, which are then mashed with chopped gherkins and uncooked onions, topped off with salt and mayonaise - This is just potato salad of course, but its perfect for long distance voyaging, since potatoes and onions last for weeks, as do the other ingredients. It's also filling and will last a couple of days.

Another one I like, is couscous made with olive oil and a beef stock cube. Then, if you have a stick of salami, you dice it, and also throw in a can of whole tomatoes and chopped garlic in a saucepan until cooked. Then serve up the couscous and pour tomato based sauce over the top. The salami can be substituted with canned  mussles or something too.

Last but not least, is of course, pasta. I just use pre-made sauce, and throw in canned tuna, and canned mushrooms.

It would be great to put together a list of recipes for budget conscious sail-far sailors. I'm provisioning now, and on the hunt for affordable food solutions!

nick

[skylark]

Pea soup and lentil soup can be made of dry ingredients plus onions and potatoes.  They do require quite a bit of cooking time, between a half hour and hour, generally. 

I have been trying out dried milk and have pretty much decided that it doesn't taste good enough to drink and spoils the flavor of other things that you make using dried milk as an ingredient (like pudding).

There have been some past threads regarding dried vegetable ingredients that might be helpful.

[AdriftAtSea]

Pea, lentil and bean-based dishes can often be cooked much faster in a pressure cooker.  Might be well worth checking a pressure cooker recipe book for them, since it'd save a lot of fuel.

[Grime]

Using dried potatoes. What Lisa does is use dried milk and boxed potatoes. She adds fresh garlic, when she has it, or garlic salt along with tarragon. Taste great. For butter get the ones that are in the little packages like ketchup and mayo comes in. 

Dried sausage and home made jerky will last a long time. We don't like the package jerky to thin. We like it thick. You can take a round steak cut into strips, salt and course pepper to taste, hang and let dry or use a dehydrator.  I would think if you vacuum sealed they would even last longer. 

[Captain Smollett]

Some of the other relevant threads:

Dehydrated Veggies
Hoop Cheese and Other Foods that don't require a fridge
Easy Provisioning (not cheap, though)

This topic comes up all the time, though not always in a clearly labeled thread. So, you might also find specific posts in seemingly unrelated threads.  Best best is to use the search function for "refridgeration" or some such.

[Lynx]

The cheepest things are flour, rice and cornmeal. Add a few vegies and eat a lot of fish when you catch it.

Otherwise it is $ 5 to $ 10 per day for food.

[Bill NH]

I've always been a big fan of potato buds, both on the water and in the mountains.  As an alternative to rice they can thicken up and give substance to any soupy dish, and won't detract from the flavors of what they're added to.  They're cheap, relatively light and last a long time... 

[Oldrig]

Nick:

If you're going to cook potatoes in a pressure cooker, you might want to try this recipe for Lebanese potato salad. It has no mayonaise in it, and it is something that, supposedly, was taken into the fields in the hot Middle East, because it would keep for a long time.

I can't verify the history of the recipe--but it's DELICIOUS, and it does keep for days at a time. My wife and I have packed it on hikes, camping trips and short cruises:

4 Large potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed
1/2 cu. (125 ml) fresh parsley (dried parsley works well)
1/4 cu. (50 ml) green onions, finely chopped (again, dried scallion or chives works)
1/4 cu. (50 ml) olive oil
1/4 cu. (50 ml) lemon juice
1 t. (5 ml) salt
dash or garlic powder or one clove
dash of pepper.

Is best if chilled for several hours.

We like to add cumin or caraway seeds

--Joe

[skylark]

I wrote this a few years ago:

http://cruisenews.net/recipes/index.php

One change I should make is that I now would use dried carrots, peppers, celery and mushrooms in the soup recipes, and maybe some of the other recipes as well.

I really like fried potatoes with eggs and should add that simple recipe in there too for some more variety.

When using dried foods, I would focus only on the foods that spoil quickly.  Things like onions and potatoes are better fresh and why not use fresh when they last a month or more.  Of course if you are traveling and have to pack your provisions and carry them, that is another story.

[Gus]

How I cook white rice 'al dente'

2 cups of white rice shields about 6-7 portions, the bag says 4 cups of water, that's way too much. I found that 2 and 3/4 cups won't overcook the rice (nothing its most disgusting to me that overcooked rice) I haven't calculated how much water to use for 1 cup of rice.

Arroz Congri (white rice with beans): 1 can of ready to eat black beans (70c at the market or so) Put them in a casserole, fill the can with water and added to the pot. Simmer with a piece of sauce or bacon. Add a bit of chopped onion if desired. Serve on top of the rice.

Tuna and mayo go with white rice too.

Gus

[CharlieJ]

tried a new pressure cooker technique for rice the other night- works well but I need a tad of fine tuning.

1.5 cups water per cup rice. Bring to a boil, along with a splash of olive oil.

When it boils, dump in the rice and stir it around to be sure it's all wet. Put on the lid and bring to pressure. Once it gets to pressure turn it down enough so it maintains the "jiggle",  cook five minutes and the let it sit. Once cooled, open , fluff and serve.

I think the time is dependent on the size of the PC and the amount of rice.. But it worked well my first try

[Gus]

Another thing that I like a lot its rice soup. Water, a cube soup, and a bit of rice.

Gus

[AdriftAtSea]

Try a cup-and-a-half of water.

How I cook white rice 'al dente'

2 cups of white rice shields about 6-7 portions, the bag says 4 cups of water, that's way too much. I found that 2 and 3/4 cups won't overcook the rice (nothing its most disgusting to me that overcooked rice) I haven't calculated how much water to use for 1 cup of rice.

Arroz Congri (white rice with beans): 1 can of ready to eat black beans (70c at the market or so) Put them in a casserole, fill the can with water and added to the pot. Simmer with a piece of sauce or bacon. Add a bit of chopped onion if desired. Serve on top of the rice.

Tuna and mayo go with white rice too.

Gus

[Gus]

Another good thing to cook with leftover white rice (a little bit more complicated)

Croquetas de Arroz:

already cooked white rice
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
Flour (a little bit)
Salt
Oil

Mix the cooked rice with the egg, salt, flour and the milk. Mix everything (gotta be runny, not too tick) With a big spoon, pour a little bit in the hot oil. Once cooked, flip it over and cook the other side. It can be eaten hot or cold.

[skylark]

Found the attached list not too long ago

whoops that didn't work

Try here and look for Provisioning List:

http://www.bethandevans.com/articles.htm

[Lynx]

I should have mentioned a good daily vitamin. Until the early 1900's sailors had vitamin deficients of all kinds. It was unknown. On just getting by with food, one should find a cheep daily vitamin and take it daily. If you are sick or injured take 2 or 3.


MUSH for 3 to 4
1/3 cup white or yellow corn meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter or 4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
     mix corn salt and water, bring to boil and simmer for 7 to 10 min stirring constantly. Add butter/oil and whatever

Cornmeal Pancakes
1 1/2 cups corn meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
if wanted add 1/2 cup nuts, raisins etc....
2 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon oil
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
  mix dry ingredients,  add water & oil. Mix until moist. Let stand for 10 min.  Makes 15 - 20 small pancakes

Fort Clatsop Salmon/Fish Chowder, more of a soup, 2 to 3 servings
4 cups water
2 to 4 veg or chicken bullion cubes
1/4 pound salmon or fish
1/2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup funnel
1 small onion. peeled and chopped
salt and pepper
     Add bullion to water and boil, add fish, potatoes, onion, fennel. Return to boil and then simmer for 20 to 25 min until veg's are tender.


Good web site -
Paul's Low Cost, Healthy, Low Carb, No Refrigeration Required Menu Plan

http://cruisenews.net/recipes/index.php

[Captain Smollett]

I should have mentioned a good daily vitamin. Until the early 1900's sailors had vitamin deficients of all kinds. It was unknown. On just getting by with food, one should find a cheep daily vitamin and take it daily. If you are sick or injured take 2 or 3.

I've never heard of being sick or injured increasing your body's demand for vitamins.  I've never had a Dr. tell ME that, and my wife's a doctor and I've never heard her tell ANYONE to take more vitamins if they are sick.

Most vitamins on the market today contain 100% or thereabouts of the amount of a vitamin you need to be healthy.  For many vitamins, your body won't absorb more beyond a certain amount.  It does no real good to take more than one vitamin; a lot of the extra will just be excreted into your urine.

In addition, some vitamins have toxic doses, so taking more than the 100% RDA could actually bring ill effects.

If you are eating lots of fruits and vegetables, there may be little need to take a multi-vitamin; but, it IS cheap insurance.

[AdriftAtSea]

Actually, the body's usage of certain vitamins, like Vitamin C do go up when you're sick.  Taking a couple of extra multivitamins a day when you're sick isn't going to hurt as a general rule.  However, as Cap Smollett pointed out, certain minerals and vitamins aren't very good for you in too high a quantity.  The fat soluble vitamins and certain minerals, like iron, are the real troublemakers...but the amount you'd need to take of multivitamin tablets to get into trouble is really excessive...so it shouldn't be too much of a worry. 

BTW, you do need to be careful when taking vitamins, since some medications can be interfered with if taken at the same time as some supplements.

[s/v Faith]

While Faith has a small Engle Fridge, we do not keep much in it.  Even here in the US, the only foods we have in the fridge right now are mayo (cause we like it cold) and some sandwich meats.

  Here is our stores list.  I post it hoping someone might get some ideas for foods to carry.  (quantity listed is what we have onboard right now, not what we suggest or what we left with).

Meats
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Bacon   0      Starboard box
Chicken (chunk)   1   lg   drawer
Chicken Spread   0      drawer
Corn Beef Hash   0      Drawer
Corned Beef   1      drawer
Jack Mackerel   1      drawer
Roast Beef   2      drawer
Roast Beef Hash   1   Lg   Drawer
Salami         Starboard box
Salmon   0      drawer
Tuna   3      drawer
Turkey (chunk)   0      drawer
Turkey (Slice)   0      drawer
Vienna Sausage   2 / 4   Sm / lg   drawer
         
         
Pasta / Rice
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Elbow Macaroni   3 lb      Hanging locker
Instant Rice         Hanging locker
Mac & Cheese   1      Starboard box
Ramen Noodles   5      Starboard box
Rice a Roni   1      Starboard box
Rice Dishes   5      Starboard box
Spaghetti   5pk      Starboard box
Spanish Rice   1      Starboard box
Zaterains (misc)   3      Starboard box
         

Condiments
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Mayo   1      Starboard Box
Mustard   0      Starboard Box
Ketchup   1      Starboard Box
Relish   0      Starboard Box
Pickles   1      Starboard Box
Butter (instant)   1      Starboard Box
Butter (Canned)   1      Starboard Box
Crisco (butter)         Starboard Box
Old Bay          Starboard box
Season salt         Starboard box
Salsa   1      Starboard Box
         
         
Vegetables & Fruit
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Green Beans   3   lg   Drawer
Peas   0      Drawer
Corn   5 / 1   lg / sm   Drawer
Corn (Cream)   4 / 1   lg / sm   Drawer
Mixed veg   0   lg   Drawer
Mix pea & carrot   1   lg   Drawer
Refried Beans   1   Lg   Drawer
Pork and Beans   1   Lg   Drawer
Baked Beans   1   Lg   Drawer
Beanie Weenie   3      Drawer
3 bean salad   1   Lg   Drawer
Diced Tomato   2   Lg   Drawer
Spaghetti Sauce   2   Lg   Drawer
Tomato Paste   2   Sm   Drawer
Mushrooms   3   sm   Drawer
Peaches Canned   1      Drawer
Oranges Canned   1      Starboard Box
Raisins   1      Starboard Box
Mixed Fruit   0      Drawer
         
         
Soups
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Beef Stew   2   lg   Drawer
Chicken A la King   2      Drawer
Chicken Noodle   1      Drawer
Chili   1      Drawer
Chili mix (Dry)   0      Drawer
Clam Chowder   3      Drawer
Cream’ Broccoli   0      Drawer
Cream’ Chicken   0      Drawer
Cream’ Mushroom   1      Drawer
Italian Wedding   1      Drawer
Potato Chowder   0      Drawer
Tomato   0      Drawer
Vegetable   0      Drawer
         
         
Miscellaneous
Item    Quantity    Size    Location
Burrito seasoning   6      Starboard Box
Instant cereal   3      Starboard Box
Instant potatoes   4      Starboard Box
Jelly   1      Starboard Box
Parmesan cheese   2      Starboard Box
Peanut Butter   1      Starboard Box
Velveeta   1      Starboard Box
Vinegar   1   lg   Port box
Powdered milk   4      Starboard Box
Soy Milk   2      Hanging locker
         
         
         
Beverages
Item   Quantity   Size   Location
Kool Aid   1      Starboard box
Tang   0      Starboard box
Apple Cider   6      
Coffee   2 lb      Port
Coffee (Instant)   1      Starboard box
Coco         Port box
Wine         
         
         
Breads & Crackers
Item   Quantity   Size   Location
Biscuit mix   3      Starboard Box
Club Crackers   3      Starboard Box
Cornbread mix   2      Starboard Box
Muffin mix   3      Starboard Box
Pancakes mix   2      Starboard Box
Ritz Crackers   3      Starboard Box
Saltine crackers   4      Starboard Box
Town crackers   2      Starboard Box
Pop tarts         
Ginger snaps         
Oatmeal cookies         
Shortbread cookies         
         
Consumables
Item   Quantity   Size   Location
AA batteries         
D batteries         
Butane         
Sterno         
Propane         
2 stroke oil         
Zip Lock bags         
Coffee Filers         
Britta Filters         
Toilet paper         
Paper towels         
Med Ibroprophen         
Med Pseudophed         
Med Maylox         
Med Excedrin         
Med Benedryl         
Med acid redux         
Med asprin         
Med Rx Meds   
      


  Here is a link to James Baldwin's excellent provisioning list on his 'Atom Voyages' site.

      
         
         

[AdriftAtSea]

Are the meats canned??