When you are doing duty as a galley chef you know that space is at a premium. The quality of your cookware really comes into play in ways that you might not even think of when you’re boiling a pot of water or frying up an egg on solid ground.

Galley cookware needs to be designed for maximum efficiency in a minimum amount of room. You don’t want to be lugging around any giant crock pots or woks in such a tiny space. Fortunately, there are a number of companies out there making top quality cookware to fit a variety of budgets with an eye to versatility and space-saving design.

If you’re looking to spend some time out on the open water and want to make sure that you’re able to cook up the best dinner but you can without pulling into port, this is a list of some of the best cookware that you can get for your boat. Also, check out the detailed buying guide so you know what to look for the next time you’re heading out to get some galley cookware.

Magma 10-Piece Nesting Cookware

magma nesting cookware

Magma made their name in marine BBQs and they parlayed the goodwill they’d established in that industry into a solid cookware business.

Their most popular set is the 10-piece nesting cookware made of 18-10 marine-grade stainless steel with triple clad stainless, aluminum, and stainless bottoms for even heat distribution. This set is strictly stainless inside, although you can get the exact same set with a non-stick coating as well.

What do you get when you break down all 10 pieces? Take a look:

  • 10” Sauté/ Fry Pan
  • 1-1/2 qt. Saucepan
  • 2 qt. Saucepan
  • 3 qt. Saucepan
  • 5 qt. Stock Pot
  • 2 Removable Handles
  • 1 Lid for Stock Pot/ Sauté Fry Pan
  • 1 Lid that fits all saucepans
  • Bungee Storage Cord

When you break it all down and stack it together, the Magma set only takes a 1/2 cubic foot of storage space.

Pros

High quality construction

Bungee cord cuts rattling noise in storage

Some of the best fitting handles in the game

 

Cons

Only a 1-year warranty

 

StacKEN Essentials

stacken essentials

When only the best will do, take a look at the StacKEN cooking set. The price point of StacKEN is much higher than the competition but serious cooks swear by it as the highest quality galley cookware on the market.

StacKEN cookware is designed for use on induction, glass, vitro-ceramic, halogen, and gas cooking stoves ensuring it can go wherever you go. In terms of construction, StacKEN is made from a bonded core of aluminum and finished with an exterior layer of stainless steel. They also boast what the company calls Vapor technology that seals in moisture, flavor, and nutrients and requires less oil or butter. When it’s time to put it away, a cooler bag holds everything safe and snug.

The Essentials set includes;

  • 1 Qt Covered Sauce Pan
  • 3 Qt Covered Sauce Pan
  • 2 Qt Saucier
  • 8.5″ Saute Pan
  • Plastic Inserts
  • Igloo Cooler Bag for storing it all away
  • Use & Care Guide

Pros

Works with any cook top

Superior quality

Convenient storage bag

Cons

High price point

Neoflam Midas Non-Stick Ceramic Cookware Set

neoflam ceramic cookware

The big selling point for the Neoflam is the non-stick ceramic surface. More stylish than most other pots and available in a variety of flashy colors, these are not specifically designed for boating but they have found their way into a number of galleys because of their easy stackability and space-saving design. The set includes:

  • 2 frying pans (8” and 10”)
  • 2 stock pots (1.6qt/6” and 2.8qt/8”)
  • 2 tempered glass lids (6” and 8”)
  • 2 plastic lids (6” and 8”)
  • 1 detachable handle

As an added bonus, the Neoflam cookware set is more affordable than many others on the market.

Pros

Affordable

Stylish

Non-stick ceramic coating

Cons

Not as space saving as competitors

Handles can be difficult to attach/detach

Magma 10-Piece Induction Compatible Nesting Cookware

magma induction cookware

Following in the same tradition as the other Magma set listed above, the Magma 10-piece induction compatible cookware set takes things up a notch for those who use induction cooking methods.

Featuring a ceramic non-stick coating and the same quality as other Magma products, these pots also feature a Ferromagnetic stainless steel outer layer to activate the magnetic field in induction cooking surfaces. 

This set includes:

  • 3 Sauce Pans (1-1/2 qt., 2 qt., & 3 qt.
  • Multi-Use Lid fits all 3 saucepans
  • 1 5 qt. Stock Pot
  • 1 10”  Skillet
  • 1 Stock Pot and Skillet/Fry Pan Lid
  • 2 Ergonomic Removable Handles
  • 1 Bungee storage cord
  • 3-piece Non-Skid Pot Protector Set

Pros

Induction heating

High quality non-stick surface

Cons

Lids are known to get messy

Galleyware 9-Piece Nesting Cookware

galleyware nesting cookware

There are a lot of benefits to the Galleyware nesting cookware set that you won’t find in other products. For instance, the plastic lids which can be used when a pot has cooled down to allow for portability or storage in the fridge. Stainless steel construction is also double-wall to ensure even heat distribution of the bases are triple clad to prevent scorching or hotspots.

Your 9-piece set includes:

  • 1 5 qt. Dutch oven
  • 1 3 qt saucepan
  • 1 9 ½”. saute pan
  • Large and small multi-lid
  • 2 plastic storage lids
  • 1 detachable handle
  • 1 bungee cord

 Amazon  →

Pros

Plastic lids for storage

Lifetime warranty

Cons

Can be difficult to stack together again

Boat Cookware Buying Guide: What You Need to Know

As with any product you buy for your boat, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind when looking for the kind of cookware that’s going to be most appropriate for your needs. 

Materials

Aluminum: You can find a lot of very cheap aluminum pots out there, including nesting sets. Some individual pieces can be as little as $20 each. As the old adage goes you get what you pay for so keep that in mind.

On the upside, aluminum is extremely lightweight and great at conducting heat. On the downside, aluminum will react with highly acidic foods and can warp in high heat. It also scratches and damages easily, which could end up contaminating food and being a health risk. It’s recommend you only get aluminum if it’s a lining on a superior pot like stainless steel.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is more resistant to damage than aluminum, and if it’s clad with a copper or aluminum bottom you can expect some fairly even heat distribution. Stainless is also a non-reactive metal so you don’t have to worry about cooking anything highly acidic in the pot and having some kind of reaction or contamination with your food.

Be wary if there is no extra layer of metal on the bottom to help conduct the heat. Pure stainless steel pots can be rather inconsistent for cooking. Additionally, if there’s no non-stick coating then you can expect that you’re going to get a bit of a workout cleaning these pots after you’ve used them. 

Ceramic: Ceramic cookware is non-toxic and non-stick, two big selling points. It also tends to be fairly lightweight and very easy to clean. The downsides are that you still need to keep the heat down so you don’t ruin the non-stick coating and you want to avoid using metal utensils. No matter what you do, that ceramic non-stick coating will fade in time, greatly reducing the functionality of the cookware.

Non-stick:  Not a material that cookware is made from it in and of itself, but nonstick is a consideration when buying cookware. Most everyone is familiar with Teflon and similar coatings, which can make cooking easier. There are some health concerns that some people have with these coatings as they can scrape off and leach into foods. It’s something to consider if you eat a lot of cooking on these surfaces.

One thing to keep in mind with any cookware that is made with aluminum and stainless steel together is that the manufacturers advise you keep an eye on your temperatures. Cranking the heat up to maximum can damage this kind of cookware. You want to stick around medium heat to ensure the quality remains high, and the metal doesn’t develop hot spots or warp.

Handles

Galley cookware is designed to be space-saving and for that reason, the handles are going to be removable. When you store the cookware, you can put the handle inside of them after they’re stacked up. That’s great for space-saving, but not so great for people who have less than ideal organizational skills. There’s a long history of galley chefs who have lost handles and couldn’t remember where they got placed.

Size

You want these nesting pots to live up to their name. If they take up much more than ½ cu ft. of space, you may want to consider another option.

At the end of the day, go with what meets your needs, your budget, and your personal aesthetic. You’re out on the water to enjoy yourself, you don’ want to be stressing over cookware.