Galley General

• Insulated carry-bag 
  Good for shopping in hot tropical climates.  Carry to store and use to transport frozen/cold items back to boat.  Also good for transporting drinks and foods during potlucks & social gatherings.

 
• Shopping cart.
  We added one in Australia and it really helps save the arms and back during long provisioning runs.
  
  
• Foot Pump
  Indispensable … use a y-valve (or two foot pumps), so that you can get both fresh and salt water.  If you have to pick, go with salt water (unless you don’t like the idea of washing hands, dishes, etc with salt water, with a final fresh water rinse).



• Drying Rack
  If your galley sink faces a wall, hang a stainless steel rack from the wall – dishes will drain into the sink below.  Otherwise (or in addition to) the adjustable (sizeable) dish racks that sit in the sink work well.  We bought both our adjustable sink rack and hanging dish rack at Ikea.



• Stove top tray
  We modified a wooden serving tray to fit on our stove-top.  It is easily moved aside for cooking, and provides additional counter space when needed.  Also doubles for transporting foods up to the cockpit when dining ‘outdoors’.



• Silicon Bake ware
  Folds, rolls, mashes, and fits just about anywhere.  Easy to clean, and doesn’t rust.  Just about every type of bake ware exists; from bread pans to muffins, cakes, cookie sheets, and more.  Only downfall is that due to the flexibility, some dishes can be difficult to handle and keep their true form (I.e. our denser breads, like banana bread, come out looking a little pregnant because the sides of the bread pan expand under the weight of the dough).

 
• Additional collapsible galleyware. While we were researching the latest products we found 100's of flexible, foldable kitchenware items that weren't available when we left. These companies must have hired some x-cruiser as the chief development engineer, because this would really help reduce storage space on a boat. I can't believe anyone would need it in a house with all that SPACE.
  
  
• Pressure Cooker
  While not everyone out here has one, they are terrific.  Minimizes heat down below due to reduced cooking times.  Makes perfect, effort-free rice.  And with the locked on lid you have the added benefit of not loosing your dinner if the pot accidentally goes flying across the galley. We have a pressure cooker set that come with two size pots with one pressure and one glass lid (to use like a standard pot) and an insert for steaming. Buy an extra Pressure Seal( 6 quart or Set). If you buy the individual cooker, we suggest the glass lid (or a similar sized lid) to turn it into a dual purpose pot.



• Deep Skillet
  When we first left I had a typical low-sided skillet … underway various dishes would spill from edge to edge with the movement of the boat.  A skillet with deep, deep sides works much better.  If you lack space, and can’t justify carrying multiple skillets, we recommend going with the larger/deeper skillet -- omelets and pancakes are a bit harder to flip, but it’s manageable.



• Good Knife Sharpener
  We also recommend looking online or asking your local butcher, for the proper sharpening technique.  It really makes a huge difference.



• Hand Blender or Food Processor
  Kind of like those “as seen on TV salsa makers”.  Ours is a nice deep one (holds about 1L), and has both a blender insert and blade insert.  I use it for anything that requires mass amounts of chopping or calls for a food processor / blender.



• Cutting Board Trays
  We have two cutting boards with tray like structures, in that the edges curve up every so slightly … not enough to get in your way when chopping, but enough to contain any juices or liquids from spilling over the board onto the counters.  This is especially useful when underway and when transporting meats from the galley up to the BBQ in the cockpit.



• Pressure Spray Pumps
  We have three, filled with olive oil, canola oil (or any vegetable oil), and vinegar.  Great for greasing pans, and the vinegar is great for spraying breads and cheeses to prevent molding.



• Soft Scrub
  The true miracle worker.  Everyone I know uses soft scrub for their galley counters.  It removes just about any stain.  Be careful as it can be abrasive.  Although our counters aren’t white, we still use Soft Scrub with Bleach – we’re just careful to make sure it doesn’t sit.  (They do sell bleach-free soft scrub as well).



• Bar Keeper’s Friend
  A terrific solution to keeping all your stainless steel rust free.  We use it on everything, include our silverware (just wash well afterwards). Friend use it to clean the decks. We’ve only found it in two places; America and the Marshall Islands … so stock up if you like it.

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