2 Galley Related ????s

[barfwinkle]

Good Morning

1: Does anyone use cast iron skillets/dutch ovens aboard? I am aware of the rust/weight factors, but just curious?

2: Has anyone heard of using Rock Salt sprinkled on the ice in the ice box to keep the box colder?

Fair Winds

[Rebinva]

When we made ice cream back in the 50s, we put salt on the ice in the churn bucket to make it colder. Not sure if it really worked or not.

[Russell]

I have met a few cruisers in the Caribbean who used dutch ovens for baking bread. They seemed happy with them, though I always assumed it was more of a "better then no oven at all" thing.

[hilbert]

Salt will melt ice and allow for liquid water that is colder than 32F (it makes a good slurry for heat transfer when making ice cream). However, it will take the same amount of calories to heat the contents of the ice box to room temperature. I don't believe that there would be any benefit to adding salt. It might even quicken the warming of the ice box, if the ice melts faster and the very cold water drains out to the bilge.

[Steve Laume]

We always start a trip with frozen milk jugs full of water from home. The cold water stays in the ice box instead of draining away. This helps the box stay colder as well as keeping things dry. Once they have given up their cooling benefit we can use the water, which is often better than what is in the tanks. The jugs can then be stowed for reuse or recycled.

When we buy ice on an extended trip it always goes into a dry bag. This serves the same purpose as the jugs. The only difference is that I have never had the courage to drink the melt water from the dry bag. I also keep a foam plug in the drain so the cold doesn't drain out.

Additional insulation made the biggest difference in our ice box.

We use iron at home but only stainless steel aboard Raven. It just seems a whole lot lighter and easier to clean. A well seasoned pan probably wouldn't present a rust issue.

We also have a stainless steel pressure cooker that is sadly under utilized but could be used to bake in, Steve.

[Tom Keevil]

I agree with Jonathan that adding salt will be of no benefit. You need to distinguish between temperature and heat. Salt will lower the temperature of the slush, since salt water freezes at a lower temperature than pure water, but the amount of heat required to melt the ice is unchanged, so the ice will not last any longer.

Think about a cup of boiling water and a gallon of boiling water. They are both the same temperature, but the gallon contains a lot more heat.

Tom

[Neil Gordon]

Cast iron works. A quick shot of Pam or a bit of oil rubbed around after washing will keep the rust away.