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Cooking on board

charris3110

By charris3110
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charris3110 Gongoozler

charris3110

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?

2. How do you find baking on a boat?

3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?

4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?

5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?

 

This is for a third year architecture project, and I need to find out more about the demographic side of things, so any help you could give me would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much! :)

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Lmcgrath87 Rising Star

Lmcgrath87

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?

2. How do you find baking on a boat?

3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?

4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?

5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?

 

This is for a third year architecture project, and I need to find out more about the demographic side of things, so any help you could give me would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much! smile.png

 

1. I've not struggled with cooking anything from roasts to pizza.

2. I have only so far baked 1 Victoria sponge, and it was probably one of the best I have made, which I attribute to the gas oven, instead of an electric fan which is what I am used to.

3. In cupboards, or in the fridge/freezer - exactly as I would in a home (aside from keeping more stuff in the fridge over summer as it got rather toasty on board!)

4. I have electric hook up so I don't think so (although after slicing my thumb off once trying to cut a frozen bagel open with a brand new carving knife, I am advised to steer clear of brand new knives)

5. A floating pub would be brilliant!

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Naughty Cal Veteran II

Naughty Cal

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?

2. How do you find baking on a boat?

3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?

4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?

5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?

 

This is for a third year architecture project, and I need to find out more about the demographic side of things, so any help you could give me would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much! smile.png

1. Anything requiring an oven. We don't have one.

2. See answer to 1.

3. In a fridge. The same as you would in a house.

4. A BBQ

5. Pub.

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Sea Dog Veteran II

Sea DogDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Your questions make me wonder whether you've been to look at a few narrowboats before asking because, if you haven't, I think you could have asked better targeted ones in this sector if you had.

 

There are many different boats, with different layouts, different lifestyles and usage patterns and different equipment fits according to budget and other factors. Anyway, here's my input for what it's worth :

 

1. Nothing that I wouldn't have difficulty cooking elsewhere given an oven, grill and 4 burner gas hob. That said, the dedicated marine freestanding oven is a bit smaller and less accurate in terms of control and temperature than a decent household one, so it takes some adjustment.

 

2. As above, but the oven characteristics are slightly more of an issue.

 

3. In a cupboard or the fridge, probably mostly fresh ingredients.

 

4. Flambe? Being a confined space, the limitations are ones of safety and common sense.

 

5. That's a strange question. There are already floating cafés and canals are often narrow, so a floating allotment is likely to be a hazard to navigation. I'd like to be able to have better, more reliable access to moorings at supermarkets and the like which are frequently poor or full.

 

I hope that helps get you started :)

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

It may not be directly relevant as our barge is in France, but my wife writes a blog (more by way of irregular essays) on food/wine and boating. She did also win the 2012 Sophie Coe prize for writing on food history with an essay titled "Food on the Move" which you can read there. It is about how the English working boat people fed themselves. See http://www.foodieafloat.com

 

It is entered under the "Writings" heading at the bottom, or can be accessed via the blog entry titled "A Brag, not a Blog" dated 7th July 2012. There is another titled "More Reminiscences" 18/12/2011 and "Our Good Old Days" 14/10/2010 about our life on a UK canal barge (a canal motor wideboat), again with the emphasis on cookery.

 

Tam

Edited by Tam & Di
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Starcoaster Veteran

Starcoaster

Posted
Posted (edited)

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?


Nothing... Well, apart from the same things that I find difficult/near impossible to cook on land...


2. How do you find baking on a boat?


Just like baking in a house-except that when my boat was poorly ballasted, my cake rose wonky...


3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?


In the fridge/cupboards/on the worktop... Same as everyone else!


4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?


The gas regulations are a little different, but I don't think there are any specifically forbidden things. Obviously a hanging cauldron or a camping stove would be a poor idea, but you'd not really cook on them in a house either...


5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?


Nothing, I don't think... I have eaten in floating cafe's, but they are not more relevant or irrelevant than land-based ones, other than as a tourist draw.


Edited by Starcoaster
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Bettie Boo Experienced

Bettie Boo

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi,

 

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?

2. How do you find baking on a boat?

3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?

4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?

5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?

 

This is for a third year architecture project, and I need to find out more about the demographic side of things, so any help you could give me would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much! smile.png

 

As other's have said...

 

1. Nothing, mind you I didn't bring my electric waffle iron with me when we moved on board sad.png

 

2. Full roast dinners to cakes, cookies and other treats - no problem at all

 

3. In the fridge, freezer and cupboards, fruit in the fruit bowl

 

4. Apparently electric waffle irons & deep fat fryers use a lot of battery power and hence not considered a necessity by 'im at the back smile.png

 

5. A floating liquor store would come in handy, no need for a allotment as I grow all my own herbs and a fair amount of veggies ... carrots, tomatoes, various varieties of lettuce, radish, cress, chilies, peppers & salad onions all in planters on our roof

 

All the below were prepared and enjoyed on the boat

 

 

ETA - not that it makes much difference to me, but we cc and do not have access to shore power hook up for electricity

post-20365-0-06443800-1443545876_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-00059800-1443545890_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-50333100-1443545907_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-19380900-1443546010_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-55656800-1443546032_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-97863700-1443546071_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-47890900-1443546126_thumb.jpg

post-20365-0-40420700-1443546137_thumb.jpg

Edited by Bettie Boo
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system 4-50 Veteran II

system 4-50Donate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

I'm doing a university project on canal boats and I was just wondering if you could answer a few questions for me.

 

1. What do you find difficult/near impossible to cook on a boat?

2. How do you find baking on a boat?

3. How do you store your food? Do you have room for fresh ingredients?

4. Is there any equipment you shouldn't use on a boat?

5. If you could choose a floating facility (such as a cafe, allotment, etc.), what would be the most helpful to you?

 

This is for a third year architecture project, and I need to find out more about the demographic side of things, so any help you could give me would be appreciated.

 

Thank you so much! smile.png

1. Anything that won't fit on my 1 ring methanol stove.

2. I never find baking happening on my boat. I'm not into baking.

3. I store my food in a plastic tub. No fridge, no freezer, no cupboards. I have room for fresh ingredients but I rarely have fresh ingredients to find room for.

4. You shouldn't use a lawnmower on a boat.

5. A floating multi-storey car park adjacent to a mainline train station (which can also be floating if desired).

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

Posted
Posted (edited)

Reading the OP again I can see my earlier post is probably quite irrelevant.wink.png

Unfortunately the OP seems to be writing from a position of absolute ignorance, and needs to define her terms more carefully. Canal boats can be anything from sea-going cruisers such as Cal’s to fairly large converted barges with as much space as a small apartment such as ours, via narrowboats with an original working boatman’s cabin through to modern versions of any length to 70’. They can be fitted with any variety of cooking appliances from gas to coal fired range.

Space is one of the major factors - there is nothing much one can’t cook other than a BBQ or anything requiring an open fire, and that can be done on the towpath. Baking? Why would that be a particular problem? I guess cakes can be problematic if the boat rocks a lot or has a permanent list. With food storage you are talking to some extent about space too, but also do you have a freezer or other means of keeping stuff cold? Electricity supply could make that a problem, but not for us. For us there is simply no need to have a freezer because of where we are and our way of life. I have difficulty thinking of something one can’t use on a boat without getting into the absurd, and as for a floating facility ........ the mind boggles. Allotment? We have a flower box with a variety of herbs if that counts.

I’m afraid the OP needs to go back and reconsider her remit if she is to come up with anything of merit.

 

Tam

Edited by Tam & Di
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Ally Influencer

Ally

Posted
Posted (edited)

1. I can and do cook anything on board. Only limitations for me are making things like icecream as I have no freezer. We don't have a hook up mooring, so relying on battery power and solar, we choose not to waste energy on a freezer.

2.I bake bread,biscuits, crackers, puddings. No problems.

3.fridge, cupboards and in a cellar box under the floor.

4. Any gas camping style stove, imo, which has its own gas cartridge directly attached. If there was ever a leak inside the cabin, gas couldn't effectively vent out, so very high risk.

5. Floating grocery store around non town, rural areas. Or, actually, a floating takeaway, but a great one, with choices of different cultural foods.....in an ideal world!

Edited by Ally
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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

 

It may not be directly relevant as our barge is in France, but my wife writes a blog (more by way of irregular essays) on food/wine and boating. She did also win the 2012 Sophie Coe prize for writing on food history with an essay titled "Food on the Move" which you can read there. It is about how the English working boat people fed themselves. See http://www.foodieafloat.com

 

It is entered under the "Writings" heading at the bottom, or can be accessed via the blog entry titled "A Brag, not a Blog" dated 7th July 2012. There is another titled "More Reminiscences" 18/12/2011 and "Our Good Old Days" 14/10/2010 about our life on a UK canal barge (a canal motor wideboat), again with the emphasis on cookery.

 

Tam

And her food tastes very good as well, she doesn't just talk a good job.

Thank you all for your fantastic answers, they are very helpful.

 

Just out of curiosity, why a floating pub?

 

Thanks smile.png

Well ones that sunk wouldn't be a lot of good

captain.gif

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MtB Veteran II

MtBDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

 

Obviously a hanging cauldron or a camping stove would be a poor idea,

 

 

 

Just for the record, Coasty prefers to set up her cauldron outside on the fore deck rather than hanging it up over a camping stove. The spells come out FAR more effective that way. As do the cooked frogs.

 

Nice wine, this.

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