I have been asked to help a small group (four to six people) prepare for a week of camping on the beach (primitive campsite, no facilities). There is, of course, no fresh water available at the campsite. To cut down on the amount of water we have to carry in, I was trying to determine what foods (potatoes, rice, pasta, veggies, etc.) could be cooked in seawater. Only thing I have found so far is a website for a clam bake that talks about steaming lobster, potatoes, and corn on the cob. Filtering the seawater is not a problem; purifying the seawater is not a problem; the question is whether or not the pasta will come out tasting too salty. Is there anyone on the forum that has done this before?<br><br>Thanks,<br>Ray<br><br><br><br>

Try it at home first ( always try everything ahead of time), rather than ruin a week for yourself and the others. I find that in normal cooking, too much salt can ruin foods that absorb large amounts of water, like rice and pasta. If you end up ingesting large amounts of salt, you're going to need extra water anyway. If you use fresh water for boiling and steaming, save it for reuse and drinking.<br>I've steamed food, in a pit at a beach, using fresh seaweed, and baked food the same way (I grew up at a beach, a few hundred yards from the ocean), but have never been tempted to use ocean water for boiling foods.<br>Walter<br><br><br><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by walter on 05/29/01 04:55 PM (server time).</EM></FONT></P>

Are you in possession of a desalination unit?All the horrors of polluted freshwater are multiplied a hundredfold on populated beachfronts;fertilizer,sewage,oil,chemical runoffs,periodic 'algae blooms' etc. The logistics of transporting additional safe water are well worth the initial effort!<br><br>