|
|
|
|
Conserving food without a fridge
On 27 Jul 2004 02:03:01 -0700, (Steve
Smith) wrote:
Hi
Having read that cheese could be stored in oil for long periods I
tried this and found that hard cheese (cheddar) in vegetable oil was
still OK after 8 months (tested at home).
What type of oil? And stored in what type of sealed container and how
did it stayed sealed? Congratulations on your experimental success,
but I would consider it more relevant to offshore use if a) the
container spent 8 months in a car trunk during the summer, and b) the
car trunk belonged to a Land Rover working mountain trails.
My point? High variability in temperature and considerable movement
are the real enemies of preservation. Granted, you can keep
perishables in the bilge, but the packaging better be
oil/seawater/black water-tight, and in the tropics, with a sea temp of
25 C, the bilge won't be much cooler...eventually.
Has anyone else any tips for other long term storage without a fridge
or ice box? Can other items be stored in oil or other mediums?
Dessication is great for fruits and meats, as is "freeze-dried" and
sealed in foil. Another advantage is the big reduction in weight and
volume.
The early recreational cruising narratives (Hiscocks, Smeatons, Roths,
Pardeys, etc.) are helpful because none of them had more than an
icebox, and that icebox was only good for well under a week. After
that, it was strictly pantry fare, Mason jars and "waxed eggs". Also
good are the early solo circumnavigators, like Robin Knox-Johnson.
Finally, I've often thought that some civilian version of the U.S.
Army's Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) would be handy on a cruising boat,
mainly for the virtue that they "self-cook" and would be great during
a prolonged bout of heavy weather, during which it can be difficult,
if not dangerous, to attempt to get hot food together.
R.
|