Cooking With Gas - Boat Life #2 [Terry]

This was going to be a short blog about cooking aboard, but Terry thought some background on one of the challenges behind the 'simple' preparation of a meal might be interesting too:

 

One of the greatest dangers on board is gas, as in Propane, not petrol.  Which is bad also, but you don’t cook with that. Our boat has two “off” systems for propane.  Most boats have one.  Usually, the propane tanks are outside and in self-draining lockers, as propane is heavier than air and will sit if it is allowed free.  You do not want this in your bilge waiting for a spark.  For an example of what this would look like, check out this photo

http://cruisingoutpost.com/2013/01/crash-test-boat-put-misery/

(you might need to cut-and-paste this)

To avoid this, boats are fitted with “sniffers’ down low as the propane will settle.  They are also fitted with a solenoid, normally on the electrical panel, that shuts off gas supply somewhere along the line.  As an additional measure, it is wise to turn off the gas bottle if you are leaving the boat.  Some really nervy types insist on turning it off after it is used each time.

We don’t do this BUT we have a second “off” system fitted.  We have installed a shut-out valve a couple of inches from the gas bottle itself.  It also has a sniffer in the bilge (so we have 2).  The advantage of this second switch is that if it smells gas it turns it off at the bottle, whilst the original one turns it off nearer the stove.  It’s only a small amount of gas but it could make the difference between a “pop” and a “boom”.

The disadvantage of our second switch is that it draws 3 amps to relay messages back and forth about whether it can smell something and whether it should stay open.  If you forget to switch it off, it gets unbelievably hot!  The first time we encountered this was the day it was fitted.  The guy who fitted it went home and left it on. We found it nearly smoking and we had no idea what to do – we hadn’t been introduced to the switch panel at this stage.  Solution?  Cut the wires.  That worked.

The upshot of it all is that to cook on our stove, first you must touch the Firebox control panel to switch that on, then go over to the electrical panel and turn on the solenoid.  It will only allow gas through if both are on.  Then you have to remember to turn them both off.

To top all this off, it is extremely difficult to find propane in Europe where we are.  You can get it north (better than Butane/Camping Gas in the cold) but not in US bottles.  And no-one will fill a US bottle due to nanny-state regulations.  We did find a chap in Portugal who would, and the chap in the workshop in this marina fills them with butane with no problem.  In the EU, though, it is usually not possible.  Even in the US it was hard to find filling stations, as most have gone to the more common exchange system.  However, we don’t want to exchange our bottles as they are extremely expensive aluminium bottles for marine use and cost $200 each.  I made up a gas line that will fit into our supply to the boat and still allow both the alarm/safety switches to operate so we can use European gas (Camping Gaz) in the future.

 

[Carol] So now we're ready to cook. We can store a reasonable amount of canned and dry food in our dry store and pantry, and even in some nooks and crannies behind the cabin seats and under the floorboards. Common Sense has a small fridge with a little freezer (which is not cold enough for ice-cream, according to the sweeter-toothed amongst us) and we use nets for some fresh fruit and veges. Typically we make a base using stuff from our store (pasta, rice, tacos, cous-cous etc) and buy fresh meat or fish, eggs and vegetables, from local markets each day. Food from the markets in Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia has been wonderful, especially the fresh fish, the delicious earthy-smelling vegetables and whatever fruit is in season (oranges here at the moment - the best I've tasted.) And the bread <3

 

 

Our best acquisition for the galley has definitely been the pressure cooker - quick, high pressure cooking saves gas, saves overheating the cabin and saves time. (When we're at sea, I spend as little time as possible down below, the best way to avoid queasiness.) It also makes food really tender and delicious. One of our favourites is also the simplest - chicken (or turkey), whatever veges are available, lentils or other grains, and stock - 10 minutes in the PC and you have a wonderful rich soup to warm you up on a cold windy night. As you can see, the galley is a bit smaller than Terry's Masterchef kitchen at home, but we manage surprisingly well.

For Australia Day, we made batches of lamingtons and meat pies to share with the French cruisers at our weekly barbecue. They were quite a hit, as was the Vegemite - with fresh baguettes and butter, at least half a dozen newbies were won over to its delights.

 

For next week's blog, I'll take you shopping at the local market.