The Challenged Galley Chef

Okay, sailors all know that cooking in a kitchen shoreside is a snap. But take a bucking sailboat in a wind-swept sea, and even boiling water and pouring it is a challenge. So you galley-salts, “how” and “what” do you cook when at sea?

For example: I can remember sailing on the east coast years ago in my youth, and one crusty sailing veteran used only coffee (percolator) pots to cook with, on a two-burner stove. He claimed it was the easiest and safest way to cook as, with his half-dozen coffee pots (one reserved exclusively for brewing coffee, and the other for hot water only), he would strum up the greatest soups and stews, pasta dishes and hearty and warm breakfast one could ever imagine. And there was always a hot pot of water on the stove for instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate or bullion.

Do you have any innovative or galley secrets you could share? Let us know. We’re looking for those unique recipes, cooking utensils, and methods of cooking that can be included in the Challenged America newsletter, and later be put into a book, giving you and your boat’s name credit.