Galley Gear & Tips

The Language of Food

Cruising in non-English speaking areas can present its own challenges when it comes to provisioning of even just ordering a coffee. On our first day in Italy Karen ordered a "Latte" with her breakfast and was a but surprised to be delivered a glass of milk rather than her usual choice of coffee. It should have been expected however. The Italian word for milk is latte after all. She soon learned to order either a caffelatte or cappuccino.

We had many other experiences of a similar vein and wrote a blog on the issue which was later published by Cruising Helmsman magazine in Australia. To have a look CLICK HERE.

___________________________________________________________

Making the Most Out of You and Your Galley

A well equiped galley will help you feel at home and not like you are camping everyday. On a boat we do not have to do without just because we live in small spaces. However appliances that you have become accustom to using on land may not  be suitable for your new life on the water.  Consumption of power and water are always main concerns when living aboard, but with a few well purchased items you will have a galley that any chef would be willing to create in.

Here are a few items that you should consider when equipping your galley:

A favourite of Karen's in the galley is her "Thermos ShuttleChef" thermal cooking system which significantly lowers LP Gas (Bhutan) consumption and saves a lot of work while producing fantastic food on the move. Many of her recipes listed provide instructions for both cooking in the conventional oven or the Shuttle Chef. Saving us time and energy

The Shuttle Chef is a slow cooker like no other. Only minutes of boiling on a stove top and the food automatically continues cooking for hours using the heat already in the pot. For more information about this cruisers best friend in the galley follow this link

Stainless Steel Saucepan Set with Removable Handles

Good Quality Knife Set with Knife Magnet

Good Quality Storage System that will stack.

Multi Use Items That Stack

Collapsible Sillicon Whistling Kettle.

Over the Sink Cutting Boards

                         

Collapsible Dish Rack

Stackable Collapsible Galley Utensils

Fruit and Vegetable Hammocks

Stick Blender with Food Processor attachment

Cryovac Machine

Micro Planner

Silicon Cookware

Drinking Thermos

______________________________________________

Other great things for your Galley

Toasting Olive Bread on the Gas Stove Top

__________

Storing Wine Aboard Ship

We love nothing better than a glass of wine or two with sundowners. After all, it's a cruising tradition. But what about storing wine on board. Well, we have successfully been able to keep very good, aged wine on Our Dreamtime without spoiling and worked out a great way to stow our normal, cheap quaffing bottles without breakage or rattles.

Karen enjoying an 18 year old Cabernet Sauvignon on Our Dreamtime.

Check out the blog Rob wrote on the subject to learn how we do it. CLICK HERE

Affiliate Program Statement

The following site is Our Galley-Dreamtimesail MyStore. These are items we use on Our Dreamtime or have researched as items we think are brilliant for life onboard. Looking at these products is free. However if you purchase an item through this link we will get a small commission to help us towards our “Sailing Kitty“ dollars. We have tried to find the best prices for the quality products we use ..... who doesn’t love a bargain! Dreamtimesail-OurGalley MyStore

________________________________________________________

Growing your own nutrients on board

 Sprouts

Sprouting is an easy way to add essential vitamins and enzymes to your diet, that you may not be getting with the local ingredients. Other advantages to doing your own sprouting, it is simple and quick with only very basic equipment needed. There is a wide choice of taste sensations. Sprouts are usually eaten raw but some (lentils, soybeans, chickpeas) require light steaming. It takes very little space in the galley and allows you to grow some of your food without actually needing a garden or supermarket. It is very economical. Sprouts can multiply by up to 15 times their weight. Sprouting is all about providing the right conditions for seeds to germinate. In a sense it is 'bench top organic vegetable gardening'.

Fresh on board with very little space required.

We also have our own small herb garden in a planter box on Our Dreamtime.

Organic Food Wrap

THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE TO PLASTIC WRAP FOR FOOD STORAGE — BECAUSE GOOD FOOD DESERVES GOOD CARE.

Find BeesWax Wrappers here

_______________________________________

Baking Tips

For great looking Muffins cut Baking paper squares and line your Muffin Cases. Muffins come out of the trays easy and you have a professional look.

Affiliate Program Statement

The following site is Our Galley-Dreamtimesail MyStore. These are items we use on Our Dreamtime or have researched as items we think are brilliant for life onboard. Looking at these products is free. However if you purchase an item through this link we will get a small commission to help us towards our “Sailing Kitty“ dollars. We have tried to find the best prices for the quality products we use ..... who doesn’t love a bargain! Dreamtimesail-OurGalley MyStore

______________________________________

Cooking Tips

Cooking Eggs

Cooking Meat 

There are really only two ways to cook any piece of meat. Hot and fast, or low and slow. Anything in between is liable to end in toughness.

This principle applies whether you are stewing, roasting, steaming, grilling, barbecuing, boiling, frying, or indeed microwaving. Before you start, you need to decide whether you are going fast or slow.

1. Use High Heat to Develop Flavour

Browning creates flavour and is a key step when cooking meat. This happens through a process called the Maillard reaction. This reaction occurs when the amino acids and sugars in the food are subjected to heat, which causes them to combine. In turn, hundreds of different flavor compounds are created. When browning meat, you want a deep brown sear and a discernibly thick crust on all sides—best obtained by quick cooking over high heat.

To ensure that meat browns properly, make sure the meat is dry before it goes into the pan; pat it thoroughly with paper towels. This is important with previously frozen meat, which often releases a great deal of water. Second, make sure the pan is hot by preheating it over high heat until the fat added to the pan is shimmering or almost smoking. Finally, make sure not to overcrowd the pan; there should be at least 2 cm's of space between the pieces of meat. If there isn't, the meat is likely to steam instead of brown. If need be, cook the meat in more than one batch.

An experienced chef can tell when the meat is ready by pressing it and feeling the give in the meat – the firmer the meat, the more cooked it is. As a rough guide, press your index finger to the ball of your thumb on the same hand – that is what rare meat feels like. Press it with your little finger – that is what well-cooked meat feels like. The pressing technique takes time to learn and requires trial, error and lots of practice. Using a meat thermometer, with the probe inside the thickest part of the cut, can ensure that you get it right every time. We love our especially for roasting on the BBQ.

2. Use Low Heat to Preserve Moisture 

For large cuts of meat or poultry, we recommend  a low-and-slow cooking method. We find that this approach allows the center to come up to the desired internal temperature with less risk of overcooking the outer layers. It also helps minimise the loss of flavourful juices (and fat). 

3. Match the Cut to the Cooking Method

Tough cuts of meat, which generally come from the heavily exercised parts of the animal, such as the shoulder or rump, respond best to slow-cooking methods, such as pot roasting or stewing. The primary goal of slow cooking is to melt protein  in the connective tissue, thereby transforming a tough piece of meat into a tender one. These cuts are always served well done.

Tender cuts with little connective tissue generally come from parts of the animal that receive little exercise (like the loin, the area along the back of the cow or pig). These cuts respond best to quicker, dry-heat cooking methods, such as grilling or roasting. These cuts are cooked to a specific doneness. Prolonged cooking increases moisture loss and can turn these tender cuts tough.

4. Don't Forget about Carryover Cooking

Since the temperature of meat will continue to rise as it rests, an effect called carryover cooking, meat should be removed from the oven, grill, or pan when it's 5 to 10 degrees below the desired serving temperature. Carryover cooking doesn't apply to poultry and fish; they don't retain heat as well as the dense muscle structure in meat.

5. Rest Your Meat

The purpose of resting meat is to allow the juices, which are driven to the center during cooking, to redistribute themselves throughout the meat. As a result, meat that has rested will shed much less juice than meat sliced straight after cooking. A A thin steak or chop should rest for up to 5 minutes, a thicker roast for 5 to 10 minutes. And when cooking a large roast like a leg of Lamb the meat should rest for about 20 minutes before it is carved.

Internal temperatures for perfectly cooked meat

Beef

Very rare: 54C

Rare: 60C

Medium rare: 63C

Medium (still a little pink): 68C

Lamb

Rare: 60C

Medium: 63C

Chicken

Succulent: 74C

Pork

Succulent: 66C

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cooking Duck Breast on the beach

Roasting the Whole Duck

1. Pre heat oven to 190C.
2. Dry duck with paper towel for a crispier skin. (if possible leave duck uncovered in refrigerator to dry skin out.)
3. Ensure the vent end of the duck is open to allow even cooking. Never stuff the duck as it prevents even cooking. Instead, place your favourite herbs, zest of orange or garlic inside the cavity for a wonderful aroma while the duck is cooking. If stuffing is desired, cook it separately.
4. Place duck on a rack in a roasting tray.
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
6. Roast for 40mins per kg until golden brown then remove duck from oven and leave to rest for 20 mins.

To portion the duck into 4, gently cut out the 2 breasts and the 2 legs with a sharp knife.

Using Duck Fat

There will be quite a bit of fat in the bottom of the roasting tray (this is good). Pour this into a container and leave to cool. The fat will come to the top and the juices will settle on the bottom.

Use the juices to make your sauce and store the fat in the refrigerator to cook the world's best roast potatoes.

tip

Duck reheats really well so cook it ahead of time or the day before, joint it when it is cool and then reheat the portions skin side up in a hot oven or under a hot grill. Always serve the sauce on the plate, not over the crispy skin of the duck.

Cook Delicious Duck Breasts

1. Heat ovenproof frypan to a medium heat, and pre-heat oven to 200 °C.

2. Pat dry duck breasts, score skin in a crisscross pattern and lightly season the skin with salt.

3. Place in pre-heated pan skin side down, using no oil, for 3-4 minutes until the skin is golden. Turn and cook for a further minute.

4. Remove pan from heat and place in pre-heated oven for a further 8-10 minutes to your liking.

5. For best results rest uncovered for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

 Tip: Fruit sauces such as orange, pear or raspberry are the perfect accompaniments for duck.

information sourced from http://www.luvaduck.com.au/kitchen-tips/

_____________________________________

Storage ideas for small space living

When living in small places like a yacht we need to be inventive when it comes to our storage solutions. On many occasions we need to store goods that will last us for many months while we cruise remote areas. Yachts have very awkward storage shapes and sizes that don't ever seem to be square. But if we are creative in how we use these spaces we can surprisingly fit an amazing amount of items. The key is to stay organised with a system so you remember where and when items were stored.

When we shop we SHOP ....

Finding storage space for all of this can be daunting. Get organised and it will be surprisingly easy.

1. Roll instead of fold.

In a home that hasn't got one square cupboard, folding towels and fitted sheets into these spaces is a chore in itself. So why not roll your linens? Just as it does in a suitcase, the rolling method creates more space and you do not have to worry about these items not fitting correctly. We store them grouped together eg: Vberth, aft cabin. 

2. Did we mention baskets?

Placing like items in baskets will add extra space to every shelf. Also, placing small items in a basket or an under shelf crate will maximise your shelf area. Sorting and separating will keep you organised when you store in attractive bins. In the head cupboards we have a number of small stackable baskets that keep items organised. 

We have hanging soft baskets for those everyday needs, quick grab and go solution. We also use baskets for extra provisions require for long Passages. And my all time favourite is "the where is is basket" this is located in the cockpit. It holds sunglasses, reading glasses, phones, iPads, books or anything else that seems to be laying around. If you leave it laying around too long it always ends up in "the where is it box"

Stackable baskets for the heads keeps things organised.

Extra Storage baskets for long haul provisioning.

Soft rope hanging baskets serve for everyday needs.

A wasted space above a locker now holds hats in a secured basket.

An open shelf is never secure. Use storage boxes that you have secured to the shelf of extra storage.

3. Seeing is believing.

We label everything .... in the panty items are marked on top and side. This ensures which ever way they are stored you can identify them quickly. Food cans are written on the top with felt tip pen so that again you can see them at a glance. Anything that you always struggle to find could do with a label.

Labeling containers is a helpful option when you have dark cramped storage.
Find a good selection of stackable canisters here

4. Think outside the box.

Shoe hangers maybe shoe hangers to most but for us they great to store Tshirts. 

These are easily removed to provide access to storage behind.

Rubbish bag holders may have an obvious use but they are great to store navigation charts and root vegetables. 

Chart holder.

Hairdryer holders can be very useful if you have a hairdryer but if you don't they are great drink bottle holders throughout the day and can be the best waiter at Sundowners. 

Secured to the binnacle these are great drink bottle holders during the day
 and Wine bottle holders at sundowners.

Tool trays apart from the obvious are great first aid boxes enabling you to separate items into categories, and having a visual immediately where they are located. Karen also uses them for her jewellery. All these items have many uses aboard it's just thinking outside of the box. 

Plastic tool boxes are great options for so many storage options. Find a good Marine First Aid Kit here

5. Make space.

Where you say … How can you make extra storage space in an already small space. Making storage space for individual requirements will make your life much easier. Our Galley is fitted with racking that you can buy in a number of retail outlets. They have been fitted specifically for the needs of the cook onboard. Spice racks was a number one priority followed by storage for bottles and knives. Fruit and vegetable hammocks save valuable space and insure our produce stays fresh. 

Racking on the inside of doors, uses space that quite often is under-utilised, we find having the easy to reach daily items saves time. Using compartments in draws also keeps things organised. It doesn't have to be a expensive solution, here we have used old take away containers. We also use cheap storage boxes to house small items. These are stackable and fit well in a locker. The boxes are labeled with the contents for easy reference.

Spice Racks. These are a great size holding small quantities that can be refilled from deep storage. Find our spice racks here

The Deep Pantry is fitted with racking to hold bottles.

These ready buy stainless racking systems can be used just about anywhere for anything.
Find our salt and pepper grinders here

Fruit and veggie hammocks. keep fruit aired and fresh. turning your fruit regularly stops soft spots.

Turn small draws into larger storage spaces. We had to small draws under the Dinette and Vberth that had a lot of wasted storage space around them. Solution make the draw fronts false and have hatches from above. We gained extra storage 10 fold.

Below small draws on the front of the dinette are now false fronts
with larger openings under the seats.

Turn areas that weren't accessible before into new storage space.

Behind Locker doors fit things that usually just get in the way.

6. Add shelving where you can.

As we now sail in relatively dry weather we have no need for a permanent wet closet. Ours has now been changed into a bosuns locker where small tools are kept in stationary filing draws. The washing machine was removed and it made room for a store cabinet for more important uses, art supplies and sewing machine.

Where the washing machine was once housed we now have
shelving with secured doors for extra storage.

Where we once had a wet locker we have now
fitted with shelves for small tools.

7. Break it or Brake it.

We are fortunate to have a cocktail cabinet in our main saloon which keeps our crystal glasses and spirits safe. However it certainly isn't a large enough compartment to hold the cellar. This is beneath the sole and to keep bottles from breaking we use secondhand baby romper suits. Each suit can be cut to secure four bottles they are washable and reusable.

Our glassware is protected stubby coolers. Many people have asked us why we bother to have good glassware. Simple we like to drink out of it, and it is breakable on land as well as sea. So we're not going to put a brake on our life because we live on a boat.

Don't put a brake on your life because you live on a boat.

We store our wine bottles in used baby romper suits.

Along with bottles the sole hides a myriad of things that we do not use regularly. Mainly these are spare parts or bulky items. If at all possible store these items in waterproof containers. 

8. Safety first.

Safety items relating to the boat and your personal safety should be housed in specialised areas that are easy accessible and well marked. All persons onboard should be aware of these areas whilst onboard. Flares, Life Jackets, Fire Extinguishers and First Aid.

9. Where is it …. Where could I have put it.

Now that you have gone to the trouble of sorting out your boat. Write an inventory… I know sounds anal and we have been the butt of many jokes. But if you do a simple system of numbering each locker and writing what is contained in each your life afloat will be a little bit less stressful.

This is a plan of our lockers and storage areas. We have numbered each and put it into an excel file. 

10. Eliminate the extra.

It's easy to get attached to things, either because you've had them for a long time, they have some special meaning to you, or because they represent the hard work and sweat you put into making the money you used to buy them. That's completely normal, but when you're looking to downsize and live within 80 square meters, you have to try and separate yourself from those feelings a bit. Here's how:

Ask yourself "What does this item do for me that nothing else does?" Start thinking about the utility of the item you're looking at. What makes it unique among your possessions? What does it do? Does it do multiple things or is it a unitasker?

Find items that are multi taskers.

Next, ask "Do I have anything else that does this better, or at least does something else as well? This is where you choose between your can opener and the other can opener with a bottle opener on the top. Pick the items that add more value to your life.

Finally, ask "Does this have sentimental meaning to me?" When it comes to appliances, tools, and electronics, it's easy to ask the first two questions, but if you're looking at a box of photos, utility doesn't come to mind. Sentimental value is important in a lot of things, so don't overlook it, just try not to get bogged down in how an item makes you feel versus what it does for you and how much space it takes. 

We have a saying that everything must have two uses on the boat.

Karen's excuse for having Crystal Champagne Flutes onboard .... They are really Scone Cutters!

Authors Note: Please remember whatever storage solutions you choose make sure you and the boat are safe at sea. Secure items that are not locked down, as rolling seas send anything flying. 

Secure your stowage areas. Rough seas will see things thrown around the cabin.

And …. If you can convince Karen not to keep bring books onboard, Our Dreamtime will be a much lighter and quicker boat.

We would love you to come onboard as our virtual crew. Subscribe to our Blog, Follow Our Dreamtime Facebook OR DreamtimeSail Instagram. If you like our Blogs want further info or just to say Hi comment below .... Cheers Rob and Karen.

If you like my recipes and blog please subscribe, share, follow, click and comment 

😆 Sharing is caring.

Our Galley Facebook

Our Galley Instagram

DreamtimeSail Blog

Our Galley Blog

DreamtimeSail Twitter

DreamtimeSail YouTube

Affiliate Program Statement

The following site is Our Galley-Dreamtimesail MyStore. These are items we use on Our Dreamtime or have researched as items we think are brilliant for life onboard. Looking at these products is free. However if you purchase an item through this link we will get a small commission to help us towards our “Sailing Kitty“ dollars. We have tried to find the best prices for the quality products we use ..... who doesn’t love a bargain! Dreamtimesail-OurGalley MyStore