Most Endurances have a microwave above the cooktop. Those micro units have tiny vents and fans, and Hampton does a good job venting this air outside the boat.

However, those small vents don't really do the job when one uses the cooktop. So I wanted a real vent/fan setup, called a "power pack" in the home building industry. It's a nice Broan unit with an infinitely variable fan control as well as dimmable lights. 

The factory did a nice job finishing out this space around the fan, and we selected plastic bins to keep everything in place. I have my cooking oils, vinegars and other non-refrig condiments. In the beginning I had these spice bottles in a bin, but that meant to get at any of them I had to bring down the entire bin. 

At some point I realized the bottles could sit on this "shelf" area, I just needed a way to contain them. I first looked into a plastic rod, but it got kind of complicated and was going to cost several times to ship what the plastic cost. 

My good friend Don had been doing some projects and had some extra metal rod. He cut it to length for me, and I painted the rod. It sits right on the hinge, I just used a dab of silicone seal to secure it.  Now I can easily access any of them. 

Did a lot of cooking on the trip, of course, and this area makes everything so handy. Only problem was that when I got home I had to relearn where everything is in the home kitchen!

I have to say that when I first started seeing the ads for Instant Pot, it made me think of an infomercial. It's one pretty inexpensive appliance that can do it all! Well, guess what, it really can. 

One of the ways I like to use it is to heat up soup that I have made. This method is so perfect for travel days.

When I was at home, I made batches of soups, chili, meatballs, etc. So in the picture I have my Food Saver sealed chili and the IP with water in it. I generally have pulled the soup from the freezer the night before and defrosted it. But if I didn't, I'd just stick it in the pot on the "keep warm" setting for a couple hours to defrost.

Then I put the bag into the pot and put it on soup mode which will boil the water and heat the soup in the bag. I usually place the pot in the sink just in case of wake/etc. 

Mahalo has an induction cooktop. Cooks fast and is a breeze to clean up. But I often find myself needing to start a generator just to use the cooktop. So I got this nifty portable induction cooktop, which can be powered by the inverter.

​There are smaller, low profile units. But reviewers said they had loud fans. And I don't want one where a pan is going to hang over or cover the controls. 

This would also be useful for people with smaller inverters. You can set the wattage used!

Another bonus is being able to take it up to the flybridge, where I have plenty of electrical sockets. Like if I want to boil some corn to go with whatever we are bbq'ing, it's very convenient. Like most things, got it on Amazon!

While I have been enjoying cooking from scratch on board Mahalo, I also like to have meals prepared ahead of time. Especially for lunch, when we are underway. I bought this Food Saver vacuum bagger from Amazon, and I really do like it. 

Besides pre-made bags, it also has a tube-roll that allows you to make bags of any size. 

Here we have two of my black bean burgers. With no or very little air left in the bag, the freezing is superior to any other method. And you only have a small amount of trash after you consume the food. 

Soups & stews & bolognese really are great for the underway meals. Defrost the night before in the refrigerator, then put into the InstaPot before getting underway. 

I have been buying uncooked shrimp already frozen in a bag, which contains about 30 shrimp. . Sealing portion sized amounts means less air to turn frosty in the bag. 

I don't take the FoodSaver itself on board, it's kind of bulky.  It was about $150, money well spent.