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The Galley - Must Haves, Don't Needs & Wish List

27K views 106 replies 46 participants last post by  Rhapsody-NS27 
#1 ·
So we pulled the trigger and it's all working out (rather smoothly, which has us worried) that we'll be sailing our new (to us) liveaboard cruiser, a 1978 43' Gulfstar Mark II down to our marina this weekend! Over the next 3 weeks we'll be moving aboard and doing the purge of all of our land life possessions. We've already gotten rid of all the furniture and anything that for sure isn't going aboard but we haven't yet dealt with our kitchen. So I thought I'd get some advice from seasoned liveaboards...

  • What are the must-haves in the galley?
  • What did you move aboard that you ended up never needing/using?
  • If you had a wish list for your galley what would it be?
  • Do you really need to only use plastic plates, cups, etc?
  • Any refits to your storage/cabinetry that you did that was a gamechanger?
  • Moisture issues for cooking ingredients?

I really like to cook and can be pretty ambitious at times which I don't expect will stop once aboard, just change. I want to be sure we have what we need to cook up good, nutritious and hearty food to get through our first winter aboard in New Hampshire! :eek:

Any tips, lists, thoughts would be very appreciated!

Cheers!
 
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#32 ·
I would say 4 of my local 6 friends that sail for any length of time do this as well. Not only to save space I am told but to keep the size of the trash bag hanging off the side of the counter from getting too large in a given time. Packaging takes up tons of space not only in the cupboard but in the trash as well.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Corelle dishes are great. They clean up with a lot less water than plastic and you have to hit them hard on something metal to break them.
Pressure cookers are the most over-rated junk on the planet, IMO, we threw ours in the thrift store pile when it didn't sell at a yard sale.
A 12" X 12" unglazed tile on the bottom of the oven helps to lessen the burned cookie bottoms.
 
#41 ·
Corian dishes are great. They clean up with a lot less water than plastic and you have to hit them hard on something metal to break them.
To be frank, I do not like Corian one little bit. Yep, it can withstand impact pretty well but get it at the right angle and blammo, goes off like a car windscreen. An absolute mongrel to clean up.
Oi be tinking oi be that me an SWW meant Corelle not Corian. :eek:
 
#46 · (Edited)
0IC .... doona, quilt, doona or eiderdown ....

hey, don't you lot call those things you whack into a babies mouth (no not those things these things
) comforters ? Its a wonder BBQBuoys kids didn't grow with a mouth full of feathers.

oh wait ... pacifiers not comforters .... I think more of an AK47 when I think pacifier but then I never was much good with wee kiddies.
 
#48 ·
I have been living aboard for three years ... and I do enjoy eating well ... one of life's pleasures ... so I will give you my experience ... please temper knowing that I am not cruising ... sailing abit but still with 110 dockside power and I am on a Cal 28 ... with a small galley ...

game changer for me was a Norcold 3.1 cu ft refrigerator 12vdc/110vac ... first item I purchased for the boat and got it for $50 off of craig's list ... runs like a champ even tho' it is now about 9 years old ... mounted it in the former locker next to the V berth and was worried at first I'd hear it running but it soon became just another known noise that I never notice ... small freezer that allows for some ice and a fee frozen goodies ... large enough refrig to keep milk ... meat and a couple of day's goodies ...

must haves for me ...

- microwave (sharp halfpint) ... good for reheating leftovers quickly and warming soups as well as keeping bread stuffs rather fresh
- Bodum young coffee press


after trying several drip/perc makers ... this just works for me ... and makes great coffee (and tea) ... that I live on ...

- bought several plastic grind salt pepper containers from Trader Joes (less than $2 ea filled) ... and simply replace with bulk ... never a problem with moisture/sticking as you grind it all

- weber smoky joe grill


keep it in the dock box along with the charcoal ... nothing better for Friday night steaks on the dock ...

- although I keep paperplates aboard (usually in festive tropical design that are from Big Lots) ... when I have company ... or just want to spoil myself it's good to have something more ahhh ... refined ... thus from Ikea ...


holds a full meal with a lip to reduce any spills ... color matches the boat ... and reduces the number of plates to wash :D ... and has matching bowls that are relatively inexpensive ... btw I used corelle for 10 years before moving aboard ... and only broke one dish ... would use it again but I like these better ...

- same for glasses ... yes I have the plastic ... wine included ... but sometimes it is good to just splurge ... have a couple of wine glasses ... and a set of good tumblers in orange and turquoise again to match the color scheme ...

- for storage containers ... I found OXO to be too expensive ... and also the top lid (pressure) wasted space ... so I stick with Snapware


relatively inexpensive and works to keep moisture out ...

- again ... I found the collapsing bowls to be rather expensive but the colander and funnels are great and well used ...

- just moving to an LP stove and oven (current refurb going on) ... so in terms of cookware ... still using small and medium fry pan and a large sauce pan ... haven't tried the stackables yet as I am weary of the single handle ultimately getting loose ... I have a well used toaster oven that served me well but will be gone when the oven is installed ...

- numerous small flexible cutting boards ... hopefully finding a good one to install (hinged and hanging)

Hope this helps in some way ... and best of luck
 
#49 ·
Thank you all so much for your amazing (and totally hilarious) input. Tim and I have compiled a fantastic list. One question - where do you get those handy hammocks for the boat?

And a bit more of the details - we'll be dockside with shore power over the winter and into the spring but are planning some week long and longer (if work lets us) cruising trips next summer around the coast of the Maine so we'll be on the hook. I'd like not to get too used to shore power in our galley as I know I will then have to "ween" when we go on the hook. Eventually we may end up living on the hook as it's so much cheaper so I'd like to get into the groove in our galley now that allow living on the hook to be the norm.

Thanks again everyone!
 
#52 ·
Cal 28 .... I like the look of the Snapware stuff .... we use similar but its Chinese. Snapware looks a lot better quality.

We will simply not use disposable tableware. Cannot condone that in this day and age simply to save on washing up.

TReilly ... agreed re the glass shards but we only use breakable stuff at anchor never when sailing. Our at anchor tableware is also quite lightweight. In reality no less likely to break than the heavier stuff and oh yes to the weight saving. Cookware is more of a problem. I agree with you re damage and weight but the alternative is aluminium and that doesn't impress.

TReilly and others have made the very valuable point that if all you are is a dockside liveaboard then you are in a very different place to those who actually get out there and sail.

While we are not full timers when we are on board we like comfort but otoh no matter how comfortable you make a smallish cruising sailboat there will always be an element of camping about it but what the hell is so wrong with that ?

Dinks14 .... we got our hammock at a camping goods store. People like Cabelas sell them but you'd probably find something less expensive if you look around. From memeory our was around $30.00 and is still going strong after six years. Must admit it doesn't get a lot of use.

Andrew B
 
#54 ·
Cal 28 .... I like the look of the Snapware stuff .... we use similar but its Chinese. Snapware looks a lot better quality.

We will simply not use disposable tableware. Cannot condone that in this day and age simply to save on washing up.
TDW

Regarding the Snapware ... the airtight plastic containers are BPA free and most made in the USA ... although some of the glassware is now sourced in Korea and other Asian countries ... air tight and easy to use (even tho' one must snap several locks around the top) ... many of their sizes are good to stack and use valuable space efficiently ...

as for the use of paperplates ... let's just say that I look forward to the day when this as well as this ... is the norm
 
#53 ·
Hi all, we're new around here, but not so new to living aboard. We completely redid our interior not long ago, building what we thought to be the perfect galley. So important when living on board.

We use only ONE type of plates etc, and its made by corelle, hardened, almost impossible to break. We use bowls when underway, and plates for sit down dinners.



The slots house our dishware, and the counters lift for wider access. Even have water channels around the perimeter to stop spillage getting into the lockers. You can see we went for a SS worktop instead of formica and it is fantastic. Nothing touches it, even clean a fish when the admiral's not looking.

For a fridge, we used a Danfoss sealed unit and built our own SS cabinet that incorporates a eutectic plate. The whole thing is described with photos here. Works like magic for 5 years since rebuild.

See more photos of the rebuild
 
#55 ·
My 2 cents on pressure cookers. My favorite use for them is to store leftovers on top of the stove without refrigeration. You may have doubts but I've done this about 50 times and my DH and I live to tell about it, especially since he had a kidney transplant and is on immune system suppression drugs.

This works for wet cooked items like soups, stews and pot roasts. When done eating, lock down lid and bring back to high pressure. Turn off - do not break the pressure - and leave on top of the stove. Next day bring back to high pressure for a couple minutes and enjoy.

This is not my idea. It comes from Lin Pardy's "Care and Feeding of Crew". She claims one can leave leftovers on top of a stove for up to a week even in the tropics. I've never gone more than a day.
 
#56 ·
My 2 cents on pressure cookers. My favorite use for them is to store leftovers on top of the stove without refrigeration.
Jude doesn't eat meat and I only occasionally. But to keep me happy she'll "bottle" a few chops or a chicken curry. Or if we catch a big fish like a yellowfin tuna, I'll butcher the beast into preserving jar size, and she'll braze it and add spices and juices, and boil them in the pressure cooker for 45 minutes I think. I'll get the exact routine if anyone's interested. As they cool, the pressure dome lids, tops, whatever they're called, pop down and seal without refrigeration for, a year for sure. I seemed to recall eating bottled chock that was nearly two years old. She store the jars in old socks in the locker to stop them banging in bad weather.

We never run our fridge as a freezer.
 
#57 ·
Must have - Tervis insulated tumblers. As much as I don't like using plasticware, these are great on the boat for keeping drinks colder longer and conserving the ice.

Nice to have - Sink with dish drainer directly above. Although very uncommon, I've been on a couple of boats that have this setup and it's great since there's not usually enough space to use countertop drainers on a boat.

Don't need - bottled water in single-serve sizes. End up with half empty bottles all over that you don't know who started. Have to deal with disposing all of the empties. Prefer to just pour from larger bottles kept cold in the fridge into tervis or stainless water bottles.
 
#60 ·
Must have - Tervis insulated tumblers. As much as I don't like using plasticware, these are great on the boat for keeping drinks colder longer and conserving the ice.

Nice to have - Sink with dish drainer directly above. Although very uncommon, I've been on a couple of boats that have this setup and it's great since there's not usually enough space to use countertop drainers on a boat.

Don't need - bottled water in single-serve sizes. End up with half empty bottles all over that you don't know who started. Have to deal with disposing all of the empties. Prefer to just pour from larger bottles kept cold in the fridge into tervis or stainless water bottles.
I'm not a big fan of buying bottled water either but I do find that a few of those bottles come in handy. You can clean and refill them with a beverage of your choice and pack them in a cooler or backpack for daily outings. I use both the small single bottles and sometimes the quart sized Gatorade bottles to carry drinks in my cooler for lunch. Quart and 2-liter plastic bottles filled with water freeze and make a good cold-pack that won't melt into water that ruins a good sandwich. Just use them till they wear out, which for me takes many months of daily use.
 
#62 · (Edited)
Fast .... I keep meaning to ask which water filter do you use ?

Anyone else ? I am sink to death of carting bottles of water for drinking and even though our tanks are particularly clean it doesn't take long for the water to get a dank taste to it.


So on to pressure cookers ..... our new Kuhn Rikon PC arrived last week. Saturday night we went for a test drive. I 'd like to say that modesty forbids me crowing about the result but alas it more embarrasment that should keep me silent.

OK , OK so maybe just maybe it might have made a wee bit of sense to start off with a tried and proven recipe but that wouldn't be very fuzzy of me now would it ? Not as if we went completely overboard, it was fairly simple chicken and vegetable thing. Two basic mistakes .... overcooked it, cut vegetables into pieces to small. End result was absolutely boring chook and mush. What was interesting though was the liquid .... magic, made an absolutely scrumptious soup. Damn that was good.

Anywho if you need any tips on how to totally cockup a chook and fresh veggies let me know.

It all started well, onion, garlic and chilli sweated off in a bit of olive oil and set aside. Brown chicken pieces in same pan, also set aside then the same with the veggies, add the onion/garlic/chilli and the the chook on top. Seal the PC and proceed to ruin the whole thing. I brought the PC up to pressure and then gave it ten minutes. Wrong wrong wrong. Should have just gone for ten minutes in total I guess.

Such it is, will try again next week and this time if all goes well I'll try for a pic. :) You do not want see t'other .... unless of course giggling at the incompetence of your's truly appeals. :p
 
#64 ·
Fast .... I keep meaning to ask which water filter do you use ?

Anyone else ? I am sink to death of carting bottles of water for drinking and even though our tanks are particularly clean it doesn't take long for the water to get a dank taste to it.

So on to pressure cookers ..... our new Kuhn Rikon PC arrived last week. Saturday night we went for a test drive. I 'd like to say that modesty forbids me crowing about the result but alas it more embarrasment that should keep me silent.

OK , OK so maybe just maybe it might have made a wee bit of sense to start off with a tried and proven recipe but that wouldn't be very fuzzy of me now would it ? Not as if we went completely overboard, it was fairly simple chicken and vegetable thing. Two basic mistakes .... overcooked it, cut vegetables into pieces to small. End result was absolutely boring chook and mush. What was interesting though was the liquid .... magic, made an absolutely scrumptious soup. Damn that was good.

Anywho if you need any tips on how to totally cockup a chook and fresh veggies let me know.

It all started well, onion, garlic and chillie sweated off in a bit of olive oil and set aside. Brown chicken pieces in same pan, also set aside then the same with the veggies, add the onion/garlic/chilli and the the chook on top. Seal the PC and proceed to ruin the whole thing. I brought the PC up to pressure and then gave it ten minutes. Wrong wrong wrong. Should have just gone for ten minutes in total I guess.

Such it is, will try again next week and this time if all goes well I'll try for a pic. :) You do not want see t'other .... unless of course giggling at the incompetence of your's truly appeals. :p
Hmmm... like the sound of that Andrew. May have to put that in my book! No pics? As they say, well, it didn't happen!

In allseriousness, sounds good.

B
 
#63 ·
Kuhn Rikon Pressure Cooker

I guess I should have added a quick review of the beastie itself.

The model we purchased (see pic in a previous post) is a Kuhn Rikon 2.5qt. Very much a two person job though if you were generous with starters and dessert you could manage four. Nonetheless for us it is the perfect size. Small enough diameter to comfortable sit on two burner range and with no overhanging handle sits quite securely and unlikely to get knocked. Maybe the long handle would be more practical for holding onto. Jury still out on that.

This model has a "waffle" bottom that removes the need to use a trivett. Comes up to pressure with no problems and the release mechanism makes it simple and quick to ease pressure. Overall small size makes cleaning a breeze even in a small boat sink.

Negatives ? Because the cheapest place to buy the thing was the US all the bloody instructions are in American as are the recipes. Oh well, I guess I'll get used to converting to metric in time but I do wish you chappies would catch up with the rest of the civilised world. :p
 
#65 ·
Re: Kuhn Rikon Pressure Cooker

Negatives ? Because the cheapest place to buy the thing was the US all the bloody instructions are in American as are the recipes. Oh well, I guess I'll get used to converting to metric in time but I do wish you chappies would catch up with the rest of the civilised world. :p
When are you going to learn all the best stuf is in American? Crazy Brits (once removed).

Brian
 
#68 ·
+ 1 on the Seagull - awesome. Yes, its expensive compared to the basic filter from Home Depot. There's a reason for that ... it's better. Lots.

And, (embarassed) + 1 on metric system. We spent 3 months in Aruba winter before last, and discovered that its a lot easier to double or halve recipes that call for "500 ml" of liquid, than ones that want "2-1/3 cups" of liquid!
 
#69 ·
Wow ... you are not kidding about more expensive .... would pay for itself fairly smartly though and reduction in waste is good enough incentive by itself.

SeaQuinn say under counter, dispenser at sink ... does that mean separate faucet for filtered water ?

I'm trying to think how often we'd use non filtered water. I guess the only reason to do so would be shortening of filter life and they are not cheap to replace. Other than washing up dishes I cannot see that we'd ever use non filtered. Ergo I doubt a separate faucet would be justified.

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm also looking at this ....

Eternity Counter Top & Under Sink Kitchen Water Filter
 
#70 ·
The replacement filters cost about 98.00 and filter about 1000 gallons ....I think it is a very low micron filter. We use it just for drinking water and I put a bottle of it at the sinks in the heads for brushing teeth. I also put it in bottles in the refrigerator and freezer for cold drinking water. It lasts at least a year.
I like it with it's own faucet so I don't waste it for the water used for dishes, hand washing, showers, cleaning etc.
We fill our water tank with water we filter through a charcoal filter(the whole house kind you can get at the hardware store....to remove chlorine (not good for alum tanks ) we also have a watermaker that makes water and puts it in the tank when in use. All that water is in the same tank but only the drinking water goes to the filter.
The water from the Seagully tastes better than bottled water. oh...I use it for ice cubes too.
 
#73 ·
What I find interesting is that they seem to sell both but are heavily pushing the Eternity over the Seagull.

In the main water from the galley is only food prep, drinking and washing up.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
 
#72 ·
I use Corelle dishes too, they are VERY tough and just seem more civilized than plastic. However, be aware that if you do manage to break a piece of Corelle it won't fracture like tempered glass. Tempered glass will break into more or less rounded polygons, with few sharp points. Corelle will fracture into LOTS of little shards, many of them almost needle-shaped, with LOTS razor-sharp edges.

How do I know this? We have a four-year-old daughter and tile floors in our house --- 'nuff said.
 
#74 ·
Must haves are ..... Pressure cooker a good non stick frying pan a cast iron pot a very sharp knife with the means to kep it that way. Last but not least the net I made to do the washing up over the side.
My nice to haves that I use are my manual meat grinder and pasta machine for making ...well pasta.
Seagull water filter goes wothout saying.
What i ditched... the micro wave rather had the extra bit of space then the cheats oven
 
#75 ·
Must haves are ..... Pressure cooker a good non stick frying pan a cast iron pot a very sharp knife with the means to kep it that way. Last but not least the net I made to do the washing up over the side.
My nice to haves that I use are my manual meat grinder and pasta machine for making ...well pasta.
Seagull water filter goes wothout saying.
What i ditched... the micro wave rather had the extra bit of space then the cheats oven
If you have ceramic cups, you have a way to keep your knives sharp. Some plates work that way too. I hone my knives weekly on the bottom of a cup... been doing that for years, and it works better than a steel.
 
#76 · (Edited)
We're planning on living aboard, and are also very health conscious.

Plastic and especially melamine can leech harmful chemicals causing kidney damage, if they are exposed to heat.
So if you do use them, then only use them for cold things, and only wash with cold water.
Risk Evaluation Institute Issues Warning on Melamine : Parentables
Also avoid BPA containing plastic bottles, as the phytoestrogens can disbalance hormones in both men and women.

Corelle is relatively safe as an inert substance.

Though as we are also very environmentally conscious,
we prefer to use biodegradable sustainable dishes,
in our case we use young coconut for bowls and cups.
The also can be handled with hot liquids in them, as husk is insulator.

Young coconuts are usually sold "upside down" in terms that the cone, is actually best as a bottom since it doesn't have natural holes, so we trim off the cone so that the coconut stands flat, and then saw off the flat part to drink the juice and get out the meat.
Depending on if we want to have a cup or a bowl is what decids how much of the flat part we take off, for cups and liquids, just a little bit, and for bowls some more.
when fresh the husk seems large, but we sun dry it, and it gets quite thin.
If it do have excess husk in a cup, then take some off, for a convenient drinking side.

The shape of the coconut cup helps keep liquids in, and the rounded husked bottoms simply roll a bit rather than skid. Can also make a base from the flat top for additional stability.

For utensils we use chopsticks, I simply source sticks from the forest, and make spoons out of clay kilned in a wood fire. Really looking forward to having a woodstove on a boat, to make it more convenient to make pottery. Though since the coconut bowls are almost cups, can simply chop stick the solids, and drink the liquids.

For water we use reverse osmosis, which with a few additional filters can in future work for salt water also.

In the kitchen used to use several knives, but have refined it to just two, one large 5 1/2in and one small 3 1/2 inch survival full tang knives with parachute cord handles, as they are most effective for those hard to cut and peel things like squash. To sharpen I use some flat shale rock I picked up at the side of a river, it's very effective and makes for a sharp smooth finish.

In terms of manual mixing and grinding devices,
we have mortar and pestle, a wooden and a marble one.
Recently we got a manual food processor, which is quite useful also.
Only thing missing is a manual stone mill.
 
#77 ·
The Bears two cents worth

Stainless Steel, high quality, cook ware and silverware, anything else with rust or corode.
Limit your sizes to what you will use on your stove eyes, too big is a waste, harder to store and hinderance when cooking. Presure cooker is a high priority, you can bake in it and make inexpensive food cook and not be leather or wood. Drinking cups with snap on lids, insulated if you can find ones that are not too tall, they don't tip as easy. Sucksion cup, stick on type, cup holders. Tupperware containers assortited sizes, They're great for all kinds of things, food, parts, small pieces and parts, keeping use together tools in one place. Highest quality cutlery with sharping steel. One gal. and 5 gal buckets with strong handels. For washing dishes, clothes, and people. A couple of large, 2 quart, termmose jugs. Will hold water, coffee, tea, soup, hot for hours. A good cutting board with rubber feet, you may have to add these yourself. Baskets that will fit inside your ice chest. Makes things must easzier to get in and out and sort through. Clip board with storage chart, and list of stores and usage. A perminate outline you can see under a paper you can write on really helps finding things you will end up putting where they fit, and then forget where. Small string net hanging baskets , great for fresh fruits and vegtables and roll up small when finished using. Make sure to have at least one narrow shelf with retainer bar or bunge for spices, salt, pepper, etc. in galley. Loose things will slide and roll into places you didn't know existed. Safety belt to keep cook from being thrown around in heavy chop. FIRE BOTTLE in easy reach. Divide your stoage spaces up into small, spaces with rolled up towels, clothing, to keep cans and containers from moving around and getting missplaced and it is much quieter at night or when trying to sleep. So many things you will learn from your experiences with your boat.
Soft breezes and gentle seas.
Bear.
 
#78 ·
Ditto on the Correlle, and you can choose something colorful. I keep paper plates and cups on board (I can hear all the sucking of air). But when some of us are sick (sea or otherwise), it makes life bearable.
I was able to find a small pressure cooker... but it's of no use because you need the extra room in a pressure cooker, you can only fill it about half full. Bought a regular size one and cook for two and just deal with the storage issue.
I second the sharp knife, and suggest a knife sharpener as well.
There is a new cookbook available called The Boat Galley Cookbook that is a good read especially for someone just starting their boat galley.
Good luck!
 
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