Many of us are in favor of a "green" galley, using as few disposables as possible, but serious seafarers know that saving water is sometimes more important than minimizing trash. And the key to saving water? Don't do dishes.

Minimizing the number of pots, pans and dishes used has many benefits. It saves water, reduces the on-board mess and saves cleaning time, allowing the cook to have a proper meal and some conversation instead of turning to the cleanup after the dinner hour. What follows are some tried and true galley tips.Using foil to line pans and cook can save you from doing dishes - and wasting the water in your tanks.

Serve food in edible containers. Chicken salad can be served in a melon half, corned beef salad in half a green pepper, or dip in a hollowed-out bread round. Your guests effectively eat the serving dishes. It doesn't get any better than that.

Another key is to get familiar with heavy-duty, freezer-weight plastic bags. They can be used to marinade meat and to mix doughs and batters. You can also wash salad greens at home, dry them well and seal then in a bag with a cushion of air for protection in the icebox and a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. To serve, remove the paper towel, add your favorite dressing to the bag, zip it shut and toss it. You can then pour the salad onto paper plates. When the jobs get done, the bags gets tossed.

Keep inexpensive, disposable cups on hand for small mixing jobs such as combining water and cornstarch to thicken sauces and gravies. Use paper plates when breading or flouring fish. When you empty a can as you cook, wash and save it to use on board as a disposable baking pan. Small cans can bake cupcakes, muffins or individual meatloaf servings. Larger cans can bake cakes and casseroles. When done, you can pitch the can.

When you do use pots or pans, linings can help eliminate the mess. Use disposable casserole dishes or line casseroles completely with nonstick foil. If you use a slow cooker, such as a crock pot, shop for disposable liners. Make or buy foil bags for cooking vegetables on the grill or in the oven. If you have a microwave in your galley, use the new steamer bags.

Another key strategy is to cook as many dishes at home as possible and freeze them in boilable or microwavable bags. To reheat, just place the bag in hot water or the microwave.

When you do wash pots, pans and dishes, skip the pre-rinse. That wastes water and adds grease to your holding tank. Instead, use a rubber scraper to de-glop dishes straight onto into the garbage. You can then use sea water and environmentally-friendly soap to do the initial wash, and simply rinse with fresh water.

Or, if you are really ambitious, you can get one of those solar showers that campers use, which hang in the sun and heat during the day (for a story on solar showers, see link below). When it comes time to wash dishes, you'll have hot water available without draining your tanks.