Cruising without a refigerator

[Doryman]

In another thread Bill and El say

A refrig on a boat? We stop for fuel every few days when underway, and almost all marinas have ice for our ice box.

There's an article in Mad Mariner that warns about food safety issues on board, including insufficiently-cooled foods. I've lived out of a cooler in my tent-camping days and on my boat and am still here to tell the tale. But I do acknowledge that cooler temperatures are most likely suboptimal from a food safey POV.

Would be interested in the collective wisdom about how to safely cruise with ice -- for example, do you avoid certain types of easily-spoiled foods? Do you just buy fresh every day (assuming you're not in the AK wilderness?) Etc., etc.

Thanks,

 

[Dora~Jean]

I cruised the Bahamas a few years back in my trimaran, 6 weeks. Ice wasn't always available at the less-traveled islands. I could only stretch my 5 day Igloo cooler for about 4 days max in 84 deg weather day and night. So every opportunity for ice, I took it, sometimes at $8.00/bag -- cubed, not even block!

Fresh fruit and foods are the hardest to keep, like lettuce, tomatoes, peaches. Apples and citrus are much better, even with no refrigeration. I bought a lot of dried fruit while still on the mainland. Eggs keep well, and I've read there are techniques for keeping them a month without refrigeration, although I won't be the one to try that one out. Use margerine instead of butter. Condensed or evaporated canned milk when you completely run out of ice -- but takes a LOT of getting used to on your cereal. Pasta, pasta sauces in jars, chili in cans, canned meat all keep well w/o refrigeration.

 

[dogon dory]

Would be interested in the collective wisdom about how to safely cruise with ice --

Common olefactory sense... :smile

A good cooler will stay as cold or colder than a fridge if you don't open it too much. If you keep beer, softdrinks, etc. in a separate, small cooler, then you don't have to open the food cooler every time you want something to drink and the food will stay much colder and last longer.

 

[thataway]

Cabbage lasts for weeks if you have good circulation of air around it. We used net hamocks and this worked well for the tropics.

Eggs: they must be fresh, and never refigerated--so buy them from the farm directly. Either cover them with Vasolene or turn them every other day, end for end. We kept eggs without spoiling for a month that way.

We use mostly ice chests in the C Dory boats, even though we have refigeration. We keep damp towels over the top of the coolers, and usually get 5 days out of the block ice. We keep one cooler for soft drinks and lemonaide etc--some other items we get to often. The other cooler we only get into once a day. We also start with frozen main dishers which are precooked. These will usually keep at least 4 to 5 days.

The things which don't keep well--we just don't use. In third world countries we often visted the mercados daily--same in Spain. It is a lot of fun trying different dishes, and we found that the venders would usually tell us how to cook the foods.

We also have the freezer in the Tom Cat--it will keep about 3 weeks main dishes--and we put the frozen food in the cooler in the AM, so that the defrosting will help keep the chest cool. We have built coolers, which will keep ice for over 3 weeks (6" of foam, totally sealed, with double vapor barriers). The off the shelf coolers are not all that good. We have not tried the expensive ones, but some friends have them, and say that they get a couple more days time on their ice.

Remember than folks ate well before ice was available--and still do in many parts of the world. We tend not to shop all that often when in US or Canadian waters--usually once a week.

 

[hardee]

We haven't done this lately, but a few years back, used 2 coolers. One active with both food and drinks, and one started with just Ice. the Ice cooler was kept wrapped in a couple of blankets and a silver space blanket bungied on the top layer. It was used just for reserve ice. The active cooler was opened judiciously, and always kept with a blanket cover and space blanket on it as well. We still had Ice to use in the active cooler on the 7-8th days out.

The active cooler had was carefully used, only opened for short periods and we didn't put any warm leftovers back into it.

With space being some thing of an issue now, I am really considering using some dry ice. I think that it would extend the time the Ice cooler would keep the backup ice good. I know if it was in the active cooler it would keep it colder, but somehow I just don't like frozen mayonnaise. I know there was a thread about dry ice a long while back, but I didn't search it before this post. I'm sure there will be more answers there about using the Dry ice.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Larry H]

On keeping produce without refrigeration:

When buying produce, avoid the already trimmed, soaking wet produce.

I have had some luck by asking the produce person if they have any untrimmed, unwashed lettuce, cabbage, romaine, brocoli, etc. The more outer leaves or stalk left on the better.

On board, we stow the produce in a cardboard box with damp paper towels on top. Check it over daily, trimming off any rotty stuff and rewet the towels. I have been told that romaine lettuce can be kept vertical in a tray of water. Change the water daily.

Try to keep the onions and potatoes separate and in the dark.

Lastly, expect to have to throw away some of the produce which goes bad.

We use these procedures on our trawler, reserving the fridge for eggs, meat, and cheese.

 

[tsturm]

We haven't done this lately, but a few years back, used 2 coolers. One active with both food and drinks, and one started with just Ice. the Ice cooler was kept wrapped in a couple of blankets and a silver space blanket bungied on the top layer. It was used just for reserve ice. The active cooler was opened judiciously, and always kept with a blanket cover and space blanket on it as well. We still had Ice to use in the active cooler on the 7-8th days out.

The active cooler had was carefully used, only opened for short periods and we didn't put any warm leftovers back into it.

With space being some thing of an issue now, I am really considering using some dry ice. I think that it would extend the time the Ice cooler would keep the backup ice good. I know if it was in the active cooler it would keep it colder, but somehow I just don't like frozen mayonnaise. I know there was a thread about dry ice a long while back, but I didn't search it before this post. I'm sure there will be more answers there about using the Dry ice.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

My Ice supply in Aug
You just pick up the little pieces & pack them into a cooler every 3-4 days :wink: Definatly don't have a Lack of ICE here!
I am begining to think no Ice might not be so bad :wink:

 

[hardee]

tsturm, Thanks for the photo. Some day I hope to be able to get up and share those bergie bits. Til then I make my own in 1 gal milk jugs.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon