Galley Cooking on a Boat: More Flavour, Less Gas

In short: The easiest way to add flavour in a boat galley is to cook simply and add spice at the end. Spice Drops are liquid extracts that go into cooked or raw food, so you can stir them into one pot pasta, rice or a tin of soup off the heat, saving gas and washing up. They keep for up to three years in a cool, dry locker, which suits a whole season afloat.

Cooking on a boat is cooking with limits. Gas has to last until the next refill, the galley moves, space is tight and fresh ingredients run out a few days into a passage. Flavour is often the first thing to suffer. This guide shows how sailors and boaters keep meals interesting by adding spice at the end of cooking instead of the beginning.

Why are spices hard work in a boat galley?

Building flavour the usual way means frying spices first, which takes extra time on the burner and an extra pan to wash with limited water. In rough weather, one pot and the shortest cooking time win. Jars of ground spice also take up locker space and tend to clump in damp air.

How do you add flavour at the end of cooking?

Ground spices usually taste best when they are warmed, often in a little oil, which brings their flavour out. Stirred into food at the end, they can taste raw and dusty, and they tend to sit on the surface rather than mixing in. Spice Drops are liquid extracts made from spices in Kerala, India, so they can go into cooked or raw food. Stir them in at the end and the flavour is there straight away, whether the food is hot, warm or cold.

Spice Drops contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are oxalate free. They are vegan, gluten free and alcohol free, and contain a plant derived emulsifier, polysorbate 80, which helps them mix into food and drink.

What are easy galley meals with more flavour?

• One pot pasta or rice: cook it plain to save gas, then stir in Garam Masala Spices, Cumin Seed or Tikka Masala Spices off the heat.
• Rough weather meals: heat a tin of soup or stew and add a few drops of Red Chilli or Ginger to wake it up.
• Tinned fish: Lemon Zest stirred into mayonnaise for tuna or salmon, with no fresh lemons needed.
• Breakfast underway: Cinnamon in porridge or overnight oats.
• Night watch drinks: Chai Spices in tea or Golden Turmeric Spices in warm milk.
• Sundowners: Lemongrass, Mint or Lime Zest in drinks, with or without alcohol.

How much should I use?

These ratios come from our product pages. Start with them, taste, then add more if you like.

How should you provision spices for a long passage?

A 5ml bottle holds around 150 drops, and a 100ml bottle holds around 3,000, so a small box covers a long trip. Stored in a cool, dry locker out of direct sunlight, Spice Drops keep for up to three years, which suits boats that are provisioned once and used across a season. Check the best before date on each pack. Wedge bottles upright in a locker or pack them in a padded bag so they do not roll about in a swell.

Browse the range in our Spice Drops collection. For days ashore, our guide to no cook camping food has more ideas, and our guide to meals without power covers store cupboard cooking.

Do you supply chandlers and yacht provisioners?

Yes. Chandlers, marinas and yacht provisioning companies can buy at trade prices through our Trade page.

How are Spice Drops made?

Spice Drops are made at our own factory in Kerala, India, by a family business that dates back to 1946. The spices are crushed in a hammer mill or under a roller without heat, then extracted, and the solvent is removed under vacuum. For some flavours the distilled oil of the same spice is added back. Leafy herbs such as Mint are distilled essential oil only. The result is real spice flavour: the natural compounds that give each spice its taste and aroma are still there, such as piperine, which gives black pepper its heat.