Cooking Gas

One of the 10 lbs tanks

We took advantage of Trinidad and Tobago's low fuel costs to refill one of our propane i.e. cooking gas bottles.  This is not always an easy task as a cruiser.  More often than not it involves a tax ride and or hike to an actual commercial LP gas plant.  Sometimes there are services that do this for cruisers for a fee of course.  Costs vary widely.  The most we have paid is in BVI's - $30 US for a refill on a 10 lbs bottle that wasn't even empty.  Antigua was expensive as well.  The cheapest has been Tobago.  We walked a couple of miles to the NP commercial gas facility at the SW corner of the airport.  Unlike Trinidad, no need for a rental car or special dress.  The plant in Trinidad requires you to wear long pants and closed toe shoes to even get past the security gate.  Here in Tobago, they took the bottle and directed us to the administration building.  By the time the lady in window one filled out the triplicate form and gave it to Tom and he took it to window three to pay, our bottle was filled and delivered back to us.  Cost was $10.50 TT or approximately $1.50 US.  

We have two 10 lbs bottles that we rotate thus always having gas.  We also have one 5 lbs we use for our grill and two of the green gas camping bottles for the grill as well.  One 10 lbs bottle will last us approximately 45 days.  Tom marks the newly filled bottle with a piece of tape showing the date we filled and where so we can track it.  In general, cooking gas is used for coffee, eggs or oatmeal in the morning and at least one pressure cooker meal a day and sometimes two.  These are usual 15-20 mins total.  Afternoon snack of popcorn is often in the mix as well but quick on the stove using very little gas.  We don't use the oven much - maybe two or three times a season.  Too hot otherwise.  Plus many islands we are able to find really good local bakeries.  The longest use of the cooking gas is for our stove top smoker. That generally smokes for 25-30 mins.  

We have been told that Trinidad & Tobago cooking gas is a mix in of propane with a little butane.  I guess butane burns at a lower rate and thus lasts longer.  Today's receipt says "70% 30% mix."  Not sure what the that means.  Maybe 70% propane and 30% butane.  Hum?  

5 lbs for the grill

We have American style aluminum propane bottles.  These are easy to get filled in the Caribbean.  No special fitting needed.  This won't always be the case as we travel further afield.  We shall have to see what the options when we run into that challenge.  One option is various fittings that allow for fills in other parts of the world.  Or perhaps just buying a local propane bottle for say a new continent.  

Passage Food

I think have mentioned before that pressure cooker pasta is our go to passage food.  I usually cook up a big batch before we set sail for quick and easy access while underway.  However, I don't think I shared with you the great mugs that act as containers for the pasta.  These mug are large enough to hold one good size portion of passage pasta and.....bonus, they each have a lid.  This keeps the contents safely stored inside until we can shovel it inside our mouths.  While underway, we simply pass the mugs out the nav station window, setting them on the floor of the cockpit to be distributed.  If the seas are rough or we are heeling, no worry, the lids are still on - no spilling.  The mugs are easy to hold - aka faster shoveling of food into one's mouth.  When we are finished, we simply put the lid back on so the last little bits are contained inside.  Who am I kidding, we are sailing and thus hungry....there are no little bits left.  We eat it all!

Tom also makes up a double batch of popcorn and puts it into two big ziplock bags.  This is the perfect munchie food, especially on the night watch.  Almonds and dried cranberries mixed in a baggy are good too.  And what is a passage without chocolate for a daily treat - dark, local (Caribbean), yummy chocolate.

Peanut butter sandwiches are always welcome anytime of day - breakfast, lunch or snack.  If we have Nutella - all the better!

Last passage, I boiled up some hard boiled eggs and we had those on passage.  The last two were gobbled up when we arrived into the anchorage.  I usually try to have some quick and easy food ready for after passage food when we are tired.

New To Us Pressure Cooker - Galley Bling Bling

Our stainless steel pressure cooker lid finally gave up the ghost at the end of last season.  It wasn't sealing quite right and I didn't want to take a chance using it.  The aluminum (that is al- u-min-ee-mum for you Brits) pressure cooker also has a broken lid latch but it functions with the use of a knife to open it - only after it's properly cooled down of course.  So....I knew I would need to get a new pressure cooker.  You all know I can't cook without one now.  I really can't.  40 mins for brown rice is insane!!

Before traipsing off to Port Of Spain to to spend $$ on a new one, I decided first to try my fellow cruisers on the off chance there might be someone out there that bought a pressure cooker right before setting off to cruise and then never learned to really use it.  No matter the size of your boat, unused equipment sucks up precious cargo space.   So I asked on the morning cruisers VHF net.

Sure enough, boom - the first day I said I was looking for a good pressure cooker, a guy hailed me after the net saying he had one I could just have.  SCORE!  FYI - in Trinidad and in many other Caribbean countries it is illegal to buy and sell goods BUT you can swap, trade or barter between foreign flagged boats....wink, wink.  

We popped around that afternoon to the boatyard where sv Simple Abundance is on the hard.  Wolfgang quickly came down the ladder with beautiful, shiny stainless steel pressure cooker.  It looks as though it's never been used.  He even put the instruction manual inside.  "My wife isn't coming this season so she won't miss it."  D-oh!  He said she had only used it once or twice.  He handed it over and we asked what he wanted for it.  "I like Carib beer."  Okay. 

An hour later I delivered a flat (case) of Carib beer back to him.  He was blown away.  I think he thought we would only bring him a 6 pack or so, but we felt a case was needed for a culinary score of this level.  

I have yet to cook with it as that night was Swordfish night at the Wheelhouse.  But tomorrow we will break it in aboard sv Honey Ryder.  Brown rice with some yet to be determined flavoring - 15 mins flat! Woot woot.

Side note -
The pressure cooker is on the heavy side so I was carrying it with both arms....sort of hugging it in front of me.  We walked down to the dock to see a friend and then back through the boat yard, up the road and out onto the main road.  We walked a short distance west and then crossed the road to the RBC Bank.  Tom tried the ATM out in front of the bank while I stood back 5 ft or so just hanging out....hugging my new pressure cooker....in front of a bank......an important business!  The ATM was Out of Service so we departed.  It occurred to me as we walked away that if I had done the same in the USA......strolled up to the front of a bank hugging a pressure cooker and than just hung around for a bit, I would probably get to have a very long, intense and personal chat with some heavily armed officials about the wonderful benefits of pressure cooking food!

Update -
The new one works great!  We put our old stainless steel pressure cooker out on the cruisers VHF net this morning thinking that someone might be able to use the pot at the very least.  Sure enough, Joanne (sv Out of Africa) came and got it.  She thinks her hubby can make it function again as a full blown pressure cooker.  Good on ya Joanne.

Galley Tools

I thought I would review the galley tools that I use most.  Perhaps others will find it helpful.

Collapsible everything.  I love my collapsible galley tools - storage bowls, salad spinner, mixing/snack bowls, measuring cups, funnel, and dish drainer.

Food storage containers - Starting on the left in the pic.  I found a set at TJ Max.  I am sorry I don't remember the name and it doesn't seem to be on the bottom.  The lids are green colored and they seal really, really well.   The containers don't stain.  The various sizes are good.  They are more vertical in size vs bigger around.  This is good in our fridge since space is tight.  Middle in the pic.  These are Rubbermaid.  The lids stay on fairly well and they are resistant to stains.  Right side of pic.  These are Progressive.  You can find them in RV and marine stores.  They stain and the lids don't fit very tight.  I always worry they will get bounced in the fridge and spill, however they have not to date.  They are sturdier than the Rubbermaid.

Measuring containers -  Starting left to right in the pic.  I like the bright green without handles the best because the ones with handles are always getting caught up when I open the drawer.  However, the bright green 1 c torn apart.  So far the cups with the handles seem to be holding up better.  This is the second set of measuring spoons. The first set the silicone torn away from the white plastic.  Love, love my silicone 2 c measuring cup.  It has held up really well.  The handle swivels for flat storage.  I do NOT put hot liquid in it.  I have found hot liquid and collapsible items don't do well.  That funnel is good too.  You can use it with just the silicone or silicone and plastic together for a more sturdy pour. The plastic part swivels for flat storage.

Mixing/snack bowls - The brand is Squish.  I bought these at Target.  3 sizes.  Very sturdy.  Great for mixing bowls or popcorn.

K-State party platter - This is your basic divided party dish for say....crudites, chips and dip, snackies. The reason I like this one....besides it being KSU.....is that the lid locks on four sides.  I took tortilla rollups in this container to the dinghy raftup and concert in Antigua.  The locking lid made the transport easy.  AND with the big powercat on the top, no mistaking who it belongs to.  FYI - the white things around the outer part are actually handles that lift up to assist with carrying/passing as well.  I really like the design of this one.

Silicone mixing bowls and funnels - The set of three mixing bowls are Isi Basics.  I got them off internet for 1/2 the price I would pay in a high end kitchen store.  They have not stained to date, however I really haven't had anything staining in them yet.  They are easy to clean.  The bottoms are weighted which really helps them stay on the counter.  More silicone funnels.  Why?  This WAS a set of three but Tom needed an addition funnel for boat maintenance of some sort.  Silicone funnels are great not only in the galley but many places on the boat.  So we have galley only funnels and boat funnels - no mixing where they are used.

Plastic egg container - Not all places in the Caribbean have eggs in containers.  MOST do but fresh markets usually don't.  This comes in handy in those cases....when I remember to take it!  D-oh!    FYI - the egg cartons in the grocery stores don't seem to be quite as sturdy as those in the US grocery stores so this is helpful there as well when carrying eggs back from the grocery store.  Weirdly it has a spot for only 10 eggs, not 12.  I don't use it all the time.  Maybe 25% of the time but it's nice to have.

Non-stick pans - I have two.  One small one that is perfect for four eggs and such.  The other is a 10 inch.  Tom cut the end of the handle off so I can pop it in the oven.  The glass lid is actually from one of my pressure cookers.  I use it more with these two pans than the PC.  *DON'T email me telling me the dangers of putting non-stick in the oven.  I know and I don't want to hear it.  I do for certain recipes only at specific temp for short time - end of discussion.    

Magma Nested Cookware - I bought the stainless steel and I LOVE it.  Mine has 5 pots, two lids (one lid is cleverly designed so it fits 3 of the pans and the other lid fits the other 2 pots) and two slid-on/locking handles.  I have a few rust spots but these have held up well.  They conduct heat really nicely.  They are not cheap.  I ordered mine off the internet so I got a small discount.  However they are worth the investment in my opinion.  FYI - Magma also offers a non-stick set.  I have seen it in person and I was not terribly impressed.  It didn't seem nearly as beefy.  Again - only my opinion.

Stainless steel French coffee press - This is awesome.  It has held up SO well.  Tom got it for me several Xmas's ago.  I have never seen another one like it.  The brand it Bodum.  

Collapsible salad spinner - The brand is progressive.  This is my second one.  I ruined the first one by putting hot pasta in the bowl.  The silicone couldn't take the heat and torn away from the plastic.  However, I liked it so much that got another one and now I am just careful not to put hot things in there.  The bowl is good for popcorn on movie night.

Wood - I have three bamboo utensils and a small bamboo cutting board.  I really like all BUT I am finding if they are not 100% dry, they mold really quickly.  Even when I think they are dry, they often still have hidden moisture (being wood) that can bring on mold when stored in a drawer.  SO, I keep the 3 utensils on the galley shelf.  Here they get plenty of air and do not mold.  The cutting board has become storage platform for one of my pressure cookers on the galley shelf as well.

Hair rubber bands - There are many, many uses for coated hair rubber bands on a boat - ponytail as well as headband style.  The zipper on Tom's sunglass case broke so he uses a ponytail rubber band to keep it closed.  The case to his all his various drill bits was always coming unlocked dumping all the bits out.  A sturdy headband style rubber band wrapped twice around keeps it shut tight.  There are many uses in the galley as well.  I have ponytail rubber bands around each of my wine glasses to keep them from smacking against each other and scratching the acrylic as they hang from the glass rack.  I also use one to keep the food storage lids contained - see the pic at the start of this blog posting.  A pony style around various hot sauce bottles helps protect them in both storage in the bilge and in the fridge.  

Silicone bakeware - I have several nice pans.  I have found silicone stains.  I also found it must be the sturdy kind vs flimsy.  So, before I moved aboard, I sold the flimsy, staining pieces I had in a garage sale and bought heavy duty, black.  They have worked well.  However, I have not used them that much as it's really to hot to bake.  Plus why would we bake when we are near any of the French islands with their wonderful bakeries!