Yes, you read the title right, we actually found some good dehydrated food — and it’s aptly named, Good To-Go foods.
Lets be honest for a minute, though, when most people think about eating dehydrated food, they don’t envision something that is going to taste even remotely delicious. But when friends Amanda and John Neal of Mahina Expeditions gave me a sample of Good To-Go’s Classic Marinara with Penne to try over the winter, I was shocked at how good it was and how well it fit into our meal planning while cruising.
Since then, we’ve tried four of their six meals aboard Yahtzee — Thai Curry, Smoked Three Bean Chili, Classic Marinara with Penne and Herbed Mushroom Risotto. (They have since come out with two more: Indian Vegetable Korma and Pad Thai.)
Over the past few months of cruising we’ve found that the pouches make great meals while underway, particularly when it’s cooler out. We simply boil water, pour it in the pouch, seal it up, let is stand for 2o minutes and we’re enjoying a hot and delicious meal in the cockpit.
We’ve cut them into our ship’s stores as meals to have when our perishable foods run low. And we’ve also come up with some ideas to turn them into serious meals by adding a few ingredients or by using them as sides.
For the Thai Curry, which has a good amount of spice to it, chicken or fresh prawns would be a welcome addition.
The Smoked Three Bean Chili is pretty hearty, but tossing in some fresh yellow onion and/or bell peppers would give it a bit of crunch and extra flavor.
We’re big fans of mushrooms and risotto so the Herbed Mushroom Risotto was right up our alley and didn’t disappoint. This is good on its own but for cruisers who have the ability to catch seafood and carry more food, it would make an excellent side with crab, fish, chicken or pork dishes.
The Classic Marinara with Penne would make another great side, but it could easily be spruced up with some ground beef or turkey, onions and peppers.
About Good T0-Go:
When accomplished NYC chef Jennifer Scism set out to change the bland dehydrated foods that were on the market, she began experimenting with her own dehydrated meals for backpacking trips. This led to the founding of Maine-based Good To-Go foods along with her husband David Koorits. Being avid backpackers and outdoors-people, they weren’t satisfied with the dehydrated products on the market and have created a range of tasty meals that outdoor enthusiasts such as themselves actually want to eat. They are currently expanding their facilities in Maine and recently launched two new flavors of meals.
Want to share your favorite boating foods or recipes with fellow cruisers? Take a few minutes to fill out the form below and we’ll feature it in “From the Galley”.
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