stocking galley

[desert_sailing]

I hope you all are getting to enjoy some nice weather. It has been a scorcher here lately and it is difficult to work on the rig in much more than 30 minute increments.

With so much time on the inside next to the AC. I am prepping for my galley and have just a couple questions on how you store your dry goods for longevity.

I don't anticipate having much in the way boxed meals like burger helpers and such. I will of course have  some type of pasta..shells/noodles, rice (jasmine), pancake mix and oatmeal, cold cerea, powder eggs, powder milk ...etc...etc..

Do you put all those items into glass jars/containers for longevity or do you keep them in their original packaging?
I assume glass containers are better than plastic...do you have a problem with breakage of the glass containers? What about moisture getting in?
Would you suggest putting the food first into  a ziplock..then into the jar/container?

Besides some cans of beans..LOL I only have the above mentioned items to go into the pantry.  What long term usage items are in your mobile pantry?

I intend to use my fridge as  freezer provided I have enough power..I am wondering what kind of condiments do NOT need refrigeration after opening?
I can think of only soy sauce.. eww.. and honey.. yum.
I was enjoying the luxury of blue cheese dressing the other day and realized.. that I may have to stick with a simple squeeze of fresh lemon.

I wonder how the freezing of cheese works out..

I certainly appreciate any suggestions on what long term provisions you carry and how you store them for "freshness".

 

[highdesertranger]

I love mason jars but you do have to take precautions.

what I do is take an old sock and cut the piece off from the ankle up(the calf part). then wrap the jar in that. then I pack so that there is no glass on glass. I have never had a jar break that I do that way.

I also took some of the thin flexible foam, the foam that stuff gets packed in and wrap the jar up in that then use the plastic wrap that they sell in the storage section. that stretchy stuff that is like heavy Saran Wrap. the problem with that is it's very hard to wash the jar. you basically have to cut it off making it wasteful.

having said all that about glass I do use some plastic for Rice, Flour, Cornmeal. I like to buy that stuff in bulk and glass is just impractical for larger quantities.

highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

Duh I just read the second half of your post. I don't refrigerate a lot of stuff that says refrigerate after opening like,

ketchup
mustard
Worcestershire Sauce
eggs
Italian dressing
salsa
I am drawing a blank I know there is more.

I do refrigerate Mayo because it separates if you don't. I accidently froze it once and it did the same thing.

I accidently froze cheese before on several occasions, seemed fine to me. so if I run across it on sale I stock up and freeze it.
same with butter, I stock up when I find it on sale and freeze it.

highdesertranger

 

[BobBski]

I just use ziplocks to store dry goods and leftovers. Past that I have a couple medium sized sealable Rubbermaid containers for leftovers. Gallon sized ziplocks hold a lot of oatmeal, rice, instant taters etc. and store easily. Things like dried beans etc stay in their own bags until needed.

 

[desert_sailing]

Oh thanks for the extra condiment suggestions.. I have been to enough restaurants to know better but have forgotten I dont have to cool the mustard and catsup. I love worschester..and forgot about that one as well. Maybe heinz 57 doesn't need cooling either?

Would those gallon sized ziplocks be sufficient by themselves for keeping the oats and rice etc "fresh"? Double bag em?
I did think of dry beans instead of cans... but.. don't you have to pick out the rocks and soak them overnight before use?

 

[VanFan]

I love mason jars...

what I do is take an old sock... then wrap the jar in that.

This is exactly what I do.  Smaller ones are good for leftovers.  Set open jar on ring in 1" water in a pan.  Cover.  Heat.  Eat from jar.  Also keep things dry in a cooler (but you have a 'fridge).  Only drawback can be weight and wasted space when half empty.

Gallon bags can be handy for packing items together for "meals", as well as other things.  I'm trying to get away from using them, though.

Food grade plastic containers from restaurant supply stores are nice, but kind of expensive.

 

[Qxxx]

I have put in a supply of dried foods, like rice, split peas, black eyed peas, and lately red beans, mainly for S&B use, but they aren't really the best thing for van life. They all take upwards to an hour or more to cook which doesn't go well with cooking via propane, and especially trying to use something like a Coleman stove for simmering. Although overnight soaking does help. It works better to buy packages of precooked rice and pasta for road cooking, as well as a lot of canned foods (albeit heavy, but this also cuts down greatly on water storage requirements).

So, given the practicalities of efficient cooking on the road, secondary storage in glass versus plastic becomes a somewhat unimportant issue.

 

[BobBski]

Would those gallon sized ziplocks be sufficient by themselves for keeping the oats and rice etc "fresh"? Double bag em?
I did think of dry beans instead of cans... but.. don't you have to pick out the rocks and soak them overnight before use?

Ziplocks, with air squeezed out, single bag, do a better job of keeping dried goods than the original containers.  I usually only buy for a couple weeks at a time anyway.

I don’t soak dried beans.  They get cooked in a “CanCooker” and are done within an hour.

 

[desert_sailing]

https://www.thespruceeats.com/foods-that-dont-go-in-the-fridge-995448

Mod edit: Link is for an article "14 Surprising Foods You Don't Need to Refrigerate"
Please include a description with links.

 

[Qxxx]

I pretty much agree with everything on that list except for ...

"Jellies and jams do not need to go in the fridge because they have a water activity of around 0.80, and their pH is usually around 3. So they don't have enough moisture to support bacteria and are too acidic for them as well".

Peanut butter I leave out, but my jar of jelly preserves says Refrigerate after opening, so ....

 

[jacqueg]

I love mason jars but you do have to take precautions.

what I do is take an old sock and cut the piece off from the ankle up(the calf part). then wrap the jar in that.  then I pack so that there is no glass on glass.  I have never had a jar break that I do that way.

Wide rubber bands will also work for this. Just put a couple around your bottle.

 

[jacqueg]

Food grade plastic containers from restaurant supply stores are nice, but kind of expensive.

 I have good luck finding nice plastic food containers at Ross DressForLess and Marshalls. Counterintuitive, I know.

Those are also good places for finding nice pots and pans (Cuisinart) for very reasonable prices - i.e., brand new for not much more than thrift shop prices.

 

[desert_sailing]

Your fridge probably has a cold side, and a less cold side near the top. You can store some things on the top that would not freeze.

I plan to test this out. Would be great if I can stack things in a way to have a fridge and a freezer.

I wonder if I put a cut to fit, thin plastic divider If that would  help chill only the top.. and maybe keep the bottom frozen. I guess I better find out where that thermostat is placed... I could see me burning it out pretty fast doing that.

 

[Qxxx]

I have a small pressure cooker that is coming with me. Not the electric one, this is 15 years old. If you soak the beans etc in HOT water for half hour, it only takes 10 minutes in the  pressure cooker for beans, lentils etc. Rice takes only 5 minutes.

Where is Sofi when we need her ... ha, usually coming in the door straight away, :idea:. Do you use the pressure cooker on high heat or low? Ever tried it on a Coleman stove? And oh gosh ... lentils! Forgot all about them.

 

[Qxxx]

Argh, too much information. BTW, as a point of information, you can leave out everything in the link past the question mark ... great $34.45 for shipping, some ebay people just love $$$.
https://www.ebay.com/i/124217711341

Also, I had already looked up some at walmart.
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=pressure cooker
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-4-Quart-Aluminum-Pressure-Cooker-01241/13904350

 

[Qxxx]

Right, stainless steel is better than aluminum (to avoid early dementia). And many of those are stove top units.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Presto-6-Quart-Stainless-Steel-Pressure-Cooker-01362/3084

 

[Qxxx]

Sofi, you are the first person I recall ever mentioning pressure cookers, although there must have been others. Now I wonder why every vanlifer doesn't have one. I definitely need to get one. I :heart: my pressure cooker, in anticipation.

 

[WanderingRose]

I also like ziploc bags for storing pasta, rice, etc., when traveling, because they are space saving.

I take crackers and items like ginger snaps out of their boxes, too, because they take up less space that way, using a clip to close the top once opened.

I always carry some dehydrated potatoes, as well, tho I don’t eat them often sometimes I want potatoes and eggs, and they are a good emergency food.

Always carry a small supply of shelf stable foods of your choice, along with a few gallons of bottled water, in event of a natural disaster that may cut you off from necessities for a few days.

I love the little range top pressure cooker.

 

[vanbrat]

I have an instant pot and seriously think I need to bring it with us. We use electric cooking any way so no problem there... But with just 2 people and I don't want left overs, so not much need for that big of a thing. Maybe if I ever go to a large sized gathering...

I like to store my dry goods in old coffee tins things. Like crackers, pancake mix, flour, cornbread mix etc. Some in their own bags removed from the boxes (don't forget to keep the instruction) and some in zip lock bags. I have fancied up the tins with some cloth covers. A. So they don't rattle when driving. B. Because they now look like pretty canisters. C. Now when I ask hubby to get the crackers while he is up that they are in the one with the yellow flowers.

As far as condiments I have a big ol' container of the little packets of catsup, mustard, mayo etc from what ever food joint we hit. They don't go bad very fast and only open what I need at any one time. We have gotten in the habit of asking for an extra one just for this.

We have a tiny fridge thing so not much frozen can go with us. It depends on where we are going how much we can take in the cooler. If it's a hot spot not much as ice takes so much room.

I don't eat much canned stuff, but still have/make room for some. I like canned fruit and can a lot of my own so I will be using the sock thing I think. Nothing as sticky yukky as a whole jar of peach syrup all over the kitchen. Now I just wrap towels around things.

Our biggest space taker is the dog food. I keep talking about making him a bed box that can hold all his "stuff" but...…

What about the seasoning packets for your salad dressing? Nothing says you have to mix up the whole thing at once. Just have to do some math to see how much to use for a 1/4 size mix. Some thing about gravy mixes and such.

Most jams and jellies don't need fridge, but some of the 'Spreads' that don't have as much sugar do. Just read the label.

Things like rice and oatmeal we only have little bit at a time and eat before they go bad, usually. Maybe I will use the zip lock bags more as we stay out longer for buggy protection.

Beans are usually canned just because of the time they would take to cook right. And again just 2 of us so not wanting left overs. Canned makes more sense for us.

I have cloth string type bags to hang my fruit while driving they don't get bruised up so much. Just make sure they don't then get to bumping the walls or what ever. They need space to swing around.

Thank you everyone for all these great ideas. So far we have only been out a few weeks at a time and still learning.

 

[Qxxx]

Good for my standard level of blundering around the edges of vanlife, and being a bad cook. Now I know about pressure cookers. Going for the stovetop, as I don't have enough solar for any electrical appliance.