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Cooking On The Norfolk Broads

Or

How To make Dinner without Blowing The Bloody Boat Up.

A complete guide on cooking on a small boat

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The Galley

I don't know about you but I have a pretty nice kitchen at home. A large stove, a large refrigerator/freezer, counter space, loads of pots and pans, a big sink, a well stocked larder and loads of counter space. A microwave and, of course, kitchen power tools.

The galley on your boat is going to be a little bit different. OK - it's going to be very different. Most kitchens don't move, I live in Southern California so occasionally it does. Your kitchen floor is probably as solid as a rock. A boat on the other hand moves around - a lot at times, and in a worse case scenario can get rather wet.

For the purpose of this article I will be describing cooking on a yacht. Your boat will probably be larger but most of the same conditions apply. Although some larger boats now have microwaves.

When I first started sailing on the Norfolk Broads the "galley" was a very small gas stove in a locker in the steering well of the boat - thankfully times have changed and these days you will actually have a space that is dedicated to cooking - of course this space could only be about two feet square - including standing room ! Also Broads yachts don't have much in the way of headroom so you will spend most of your time cooking with your body in the shape of the letter "S" unless you are under 5 foot tall.

On one yacht that I rented the boat builder, having little space to work with placed the lavatory/shower/washbasin cubby hole opposite the galley. The result being that anyone wanting to use the loo would have to push me out of the way, or spend a long time sitting there waiting for me to move. On the bonus side I could sit on the contraption and make breakfast at the same time - I'll touch on hygiene later !

The Stove

Your stove will be powered by propane (calor gas) which is fed from a bottle hidden somewhere on your boat. There are a few things to remember when dealing with propane. Firstly the supply is not limitless, although your boat should have a sufficient supply for your holiday, but don't forget to follow your boatyards advice. Propane also is at a lower pressure than the mains gas you get at home. For this reason you should never leave the stove un-attended as the flame can get blown out. This brings up an interesting point. Propane is heavier than air so if you had a leak and didn't notice it's rather distinctive odour you might have a rather interesting experience if the gas found an ignition source - that could really ruin your day.

As you have a lower pressure you will have less heat output and cooking will take longer than you would expect at home.

Your stove will also come with an oven which also doubles as a grill and usually a storage area when it's not in use.

Even though the stove might have 4 rings you might not always have room for four pots !

Most of these stoves come with an electronic igniter. I've heard a rumour that these devices are supposed to light the gas. I say this is a rumor as I have never found one that actually works every time, so bring loads of matches. Also remember to light the match first then turn on the gas, and in an instant you will hear a small "pop" and the gas will be lit. If you hear a large bang then something might have gone wrong.

The Fridge

The power for your fridge will either be propane or electric. On older boats you may only have an ice box - now they are a real pain.

Don't expect the fridge to work as well as the one at home - think of it more as a storage space that can get cool. On most yachts the fridge will only work when the engine is going. If you love those frozen ready made meals you are going to have a great time as the freezer section will be be enough to make an ice cube (but then you haven't got a microwave!).

Keeping it Clean

One of the problems of cooking and eating on a boat is keeping things clean and relatively bacteria free. If you don't there's a good chance that you will get a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Monella's young son, Sal ! Young Johnny might be very proud of the huge Perch he's just caught, but this fish has been swimming around in Diesel fuel and duck dung.

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