Steaming vegetables in sea water.

[Merrick]

Has/does anyone use sea water to steam cook food, especially on long journeys? I can't think of any reason why not as the salt would surely be left in the pan but I'd be interested to know if that's the case.

 

[veshengro]

I used seawater to boil spuds on passage to the Caribbean. Strained it through a Muslin Duster first just to remove any critters, but well offshore I never had to fish anything nasty out of the water before boiling it. The little Canary Island spuds always tasted ok after boiling.

 

[Neeves]

Why steam, just stir fry with garlic, we do it with snow peas, French beans, iceberg lettuce, broccoli, wombok cabbage

Source Mr D's thermal cooker, or shuttle chef and you can make a casserole and steam the veg over the cooking stew.

Jonathan

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

I used seawater to boil spuds on passage to the Caribbean. Strained it through a Muslin Duster first just to remove any critters, but well offshore I never had to fish anything nasty out of the water before boiling it. The little Canary Island spuds always tasted ok after boiling.

In the Canaries it is a method of cooking spuds, delicious, they come out encrusted in salt
Might be a bit heavy on the salt for other veg?

 

[Roberto]

Why not, though I suspect the amount of fresh water needed to steam some food is a lot less than the quantity needed to clean/remove the salt crust remaining after having steamed something using sea water.

 

[Merrick]

Why steam, just stir fry with garlic, we do it with snow peas, French beans, iceberg lettuce, broccoli, wombok cabbage

Source Mr D's thermal cooker, or shuttle chef and you can make a casserole and steam the veg over the cooking stew.

Jonathan

Mainly because I don't like stir fry.

 

[Neeves]

Mainly because I don't like stir fry.

I thought soggy vegetables had been left behind in the 1970s. . So....Mr D's thermal cooker would suit you perfectly, though we use the original a Shuttle Chef marketed by Thermos. The latter comes with a steamer basket.

 

[SteveIOW]

If you’re steaming, rather than boiling in, seawater I don’t see why veg should end up salty. Or am I being thick?

 

[Neeves]

This is Practical Sailor.

Buy a bag of Malden Salt, add appropriate amount to fresh water (this will vary - depends where you intend to sail), add lidded steamer basket, place vegetable of your choice in basket - boil to match your taste, report back. Please define levels of encrusted salt on saucepan.

Potatoes take quite a long time to steam, just add appropriate greens in a separate basket

Jonathan

 

[Neeves]

If you’re steaming, rather than boiling in, seawater I don’t see why veg should end up salty. Or am I being thick?

No, you are, in fact, answering the OP.

Its how they used to make fresh water on long voyages, boil water, condense, store.

Jonathan

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I thought soggy vegetables had been left behind in the 1970s. . So....Mr D's thermal cooker would suit you perfectly, though we use the original a Shuttle Chef marketed by Thermos. The latter comes with a steamer basket.

Steaming vegetables gives crisp or crunchy vegetables. I steam vegetables regularly and the soggy vegetables only occurs if steamed too long or steamed to crisp or crunchy them removed and not cooled. In the latter case, the veg continues to cook for a short while and can cross over to soggy.

To the OP, get the sea water boiling first, then add the steamer basket to the pot.

 

[Boathook]

Steaming vegetables gives crisp or crunchy vegetables. I steam vegetables regularly and the soggy vegetables only occurs if steamed too long or steamed to crisp or crunchy them removed and not cooled. In the latter case, the veg continues to cook for a short while and can cross over to soggy.

To the OP, get the sea water boiling first, then add the steamer basket to the pot.

And don't use the Solent water !

 

[wonkywinch]

And don't use the Solent water !

Or Hamble water - River Hamble visitors warned over toxic blue-green algae

 

[[70521]]

Spuds are fine, but it does not work with rice! Mixing sea and rain water 1:5 works for rice.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The crew of the Kon Tiki found that porridge can be cooked successfully with sea water!

 

[afterpegassus]

Potatoes were always boiled in seawater in my early fishing days on the west coast and as for steaming, they do not take that long if sliced.

 

[BobnLesley]

Never steamed veg, but once well offshore we used about 60% seawater - too salty for our tastes when neat - for most stuff that we boiled - veggies/rice/pasta

 

[Sailing steve]

And don't use the Solent water !

Or given the unfettered enthusiasm with which our water companies pump raw sewage into our rivers and seas at every opportunity they can get away with I'd extend that advice to anywhere in UK waters.

 

[KompetentKrew]

I use seawater for cooking rice and pasta. I think normally 50:50 with fresh water.

 

[GHA]

Used seawater for rice in a pressure cooker for many years. Put a separate container inside the pressure cooker with 2 parts rice, 3 parts fresh water then a little sea water to steam in the pressure cooker.
2 1/2 minutes hiss, leave 5 mins & eat. Perfect every time with next to no washing up, hardly any budget, water or gas used. Could not be more ideal for a cruising boat