Posh Pot Noodles - suggestions please

I usually put the autopilot on and cook some pasta or something then stir in a bit of pesto. Or cook up some sausages or a chicken breast or chop. Or scramble up some eggs. Sometimes a tin of stew but that sort of stuff is often very salty. Rotisserie chickens are a good starting point. I would rather heave to and eat than have freeze dried food out of dog bowls etc..

I sail a small boat so can access the stove to stir or inspect things by leaning down the hatch.
 
prv said:
Understood; Even my mum, who is an excellent cook on shore, does seem to tend a bit towards the "boat = pre-prepared, packets, and processed" mentality though.
Pete
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One of my standard snacks I make up onboard is 2 Jacobs crackers, Primula cheese spread applied then a slice of cheese inbetween; if one is lucky, mature cheddar, or for ultra convenience, the pre-sliced stuff; even the latter is surprisingly acceptable underway.

This went well for years until I took my chum Gordon for a trip; now Gordon is the best electrical engineer BAe ever had, but the sort of cook who could burn water.

I'd had him make up the cheese crackers as I got the boat under way, then a while later when I took a bite from the prepared delicacy I found my teeth didn't meet; I hadn't actually told Gordon to remove the plastic film from the cheese slices...:rolleyes:
 
prv said:
I suspect some of it may be down to old men who never learned to cook because women always did it for them. So when they went to sea in their MABs they didn't want anything more complicated than heating up tins. Then other people who perhaps could cook, picked up this way of thinking as being the "right" way to handle catering on boats.
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I'm pretty certain that's accurate. Even 15 years ago in France, I cooked every night, starting with basic healthy ingredients which needed knowhow to create a tasty dinner...

...now back in England, I'm often apt to buy things that only need heating. Very unfortunate and unimaginative habit. Admittedly I was rarely sober enough to remember what or how I'd prepared my meals in France, but now I'm so pathetically accustomed to ease and convenience, I find I have to think carefully even before simple cooking like roasting a joint.

I see the advantage of "storm-snacks" being ready in a jiffy with a kettle of hot water, but when I have a galley, I'm going to keep these dehydrated horrors at the bottom of a locker.
 
Hmm. Was it Dick Strawbridge who cooked his way round the UK in a gaffer? Though he seemed to spend most of his cooking time ashore.

Not sure why my twisted mind sees it this way, but I strongly incline towards a belief that the humbler the vessel, the more elaborately Lucullan the meals should be...

...so whatever other discomforts the crew suffers (and however inconvenient the stowage, chilling and preparation of fresh food), meals are really glorious and there's no miserable "gruel & ship's biscuits" atmosphere lowering the tone.

I know damned well I can fit a stove and pans through the Osprey's forepeak hatch. And half the pleasure of real filter coffee is the smell of it brewing... :D
 
On passage I would rather have the food ready in a decent food flask, especially if single-handed. It's much easier to make some hot soup and decent sandwiches before you set out.
 
When things get lumpy enough that making a cup of tea is difficult, people are usually grateful when offered a bowl of warm Pedigree Chum and a spoon.

The 'look what we've found' range win on 3 counts, easy to make, little packaging waste to dispose of and actually quite nice!
 
It doesn't qualify for the "just add hot water" requested by the OP, but I keep a selections of cans from LeClerc or Carrefour on board - cassoulet, sausages & lentils, petit salé etc. Lidl often have them, but in big cans which are too much for one and when the Admiral's with me, she insists on - and prepares - real food. Tesco's ratatouille with a bit (big bit!) of grated cheese and a nice glass of red is another warming meal once the anchors down.
 
BruceDanforth said:
I usually put the autopilot on and cook some pasta or something then stir in a bit of pesto. Or cook up some sausages or a chicken breast or chop. Or scramble up some eggs. Sometimes a tin of stew but that sort of stuff is often very salty. Rotisserie chickens are a good starting point. I would rather heave to and eat than have freeze dried food out of dog bowls etc..

I sail a small boat so can access the stove to stir or inspect things by leaning down the hatch.
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1. That doesn't address the OP's desire to have something he can 'just add boiling water" to.
2. Some instant meals are surprisingly good. The Fuzion range from the link I posted earlier are an example. A far cry from the freeze dried meals I ate on races 20 years ago.
 
1. Well I'm really sorry about that.
2. No they aren't.

bbg said:
1. That doesn't address the OP's desire to have something he can 'just add boiling water" to.
2. Some instant meals are surprisingly good. The Fuzion range from the link I posted earlier are an example. A far cry from the freeze dried meals I ate on races 20 years ago.
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The best 'quick' boat food is to catch a fish - tuna or Mahi Mahi are nice but a mackerel will do and - as soon as it stops twitching and has bled out over your deck - a bit of lemon juice and sushi!
 
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