Ovens supplied on Higman Boats these days include a self-cleaning feature. Gone are the days when an oven in the galley was cleaned with strong chemicals that were sprayed on the internal surfaces and then wiped off.  That effort was never much fun if you were the one that had to do it.  But cleaning a self- cleaning oven does take some preparation to make the job go smoothly.

Read the Instructions!

Step one in cleaning the oven is the same with any type of equipment: pull out the instruction manual and read it.  If it is missing from the boat, most instruction manuals can be found online.  A quick internet search using your specific make and model should locate the right instruction manual for your stove. Because there are several makes and models of stove throughout the fleet, here are some general guidelines to get you safely through the process. 

Self-Cleaning Oven cycle....how does it work?

If you have ever used the self-cleaning cycle, you know that the oven gets hot, REALLY HOT!  During the cycle, the oven will heat up to around 900 to 1000 degrees F.  At this temperature, caked on grease and grime will incinerate off of the internal walls and floor of the oven.  All that remains at the end of the self-cleaning cycle is a light coating of ash that can easily be wiped way. 

Ovens are heavily insulated to keep the heat inside.  As the cycle begins, an automatic door latch will prevent opening of the oven door until the cleaning cycle is finished and the oven has cooled to a point where it is safe to check inside.  Do not attempt to open (force open) the oven door as it runs through the cycle.

Self-Cleaning Safety

Occasionally a small fire can break out inside the oven during the cycle.  Do not attempt to force open the latched oven door.  Introduction of fresh air at the self-cleaning temperatures can cause a burst of flame from the oven. 

If a large fire breaks out in the stove that lasts more than a few minutes, cut the power to the stove. 

• Do all crewmembers know where the breaker is for the stove on the boat?  It may not be possible to unplug a hot, on-fire stove from the receptacle behind the unit.
• Stand by with a fire extinguisher but do not try to open the oven door.

Don't leave the oven completely unattended while cleaning.  A crewmwember must be assigned to the galley during the process.

If doing this at home and you have pet birds, remove them to a well ventilated location, far from the oven. The fumes produced by the self-cleaning process are toxic to some birds.

Getting ready to use the Self-Cleaning Cycle

Remove anything movable from the oven (racks, cookies sheets, etc.) 

Clean up any heavy areas of debris that have built up in the oven.  This includes solid food, grease puddles and any carbon that is deeper than just a light coating.  The more you can manually clean up the oven before the process, the less smoke and fire will be present during the cycle. Self-cleaning doesn't really actually mean that it cleans itself, it just gives you a little extra help.

If there are any sugary spills in the oven, they must be cleaned by hand. Incinerating the sugar spills can pit and damage the enamel and other surfaces in the oven.

Clean grease from around the door frame and around the door seal. This area is not cleaned as effectively by the cleaning cycle and pre-cleaning will improve results. It will also reduce the risk of damage by flame up.

Do not clean the door gasket.  The door gasket is essential for a good seal. Care should be taken not to rub, damage or move the gasket 

Turn on the range hood ventilator to draw away smoke, odor and fumes. Also open the galley doors for cross ventilation.

Set the oven to self-cleaning mode. Some ovens have more than one control that must be set to start the cycle; this is to prevent the accidental selection of the cleaning cycle. If there is a manual lock, lock it now. If there is a manual timer for the cycle, set the timer.

The oven will go through its cleaning cycle.  There may be smoke and sometimes fire.  Let the stove go through its cycle.

The door will remain locked on automatic models until the temperature has dropped to normally less than 600 degrees. Do not attempt to force it open. Do not assume it is broken because it has been a long time.

Final Step

Once the oven door can be opened, continue to let it cool down to ambient temperatures.  Once cool, you can go in and wipe down the residual ash, the product of incineration.

Self-cleaning ovens are safe as long as common sense is used and you realize the importance of pre-cleaning.

• AIS TARGETS...lists AIS targets, nearest to farthest.
• LATERAL SLIDE - shows graphic representation of vessel slid
• DAYLIGHT MODE...adds a convenient button to change between "Daylight"/"Dusk"/"Night" screen colors and brightness.
• ROUTE MONITOR  shows a calculated ETA and Time to Go to inland river make positions.

• Right Click on the far right panel area.
• Click on "New Task Pane".
• Right Click on the New Task pane that you just set up and select"Rename this panel"
• Type i the name of your new panel for example "Dave's Instruments".
• Left click on the name of your new panel and select "New task Panel".
• The instruments will show up in a selection box.  Select the ones you a want and push"ADD" for each one.  they will appear in your instrument panel.

Rename you task panel so you can quickly find and use.

Add your instruments.

Another Cajun favorite, just a little lighter.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 16 oz. can of mushrooms, drained

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper**

1/4 teaspoon black pepper**

**

1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce**

2 tablespoons tomato paste

8 ounces (1 cup) tomato sauce, no salt added

2 cups chicken stock (low sodium)

1 lb. peeled and de-veined shrimp 18/19 count (fresh or frozen)

2 cups cooked brown rice

** season to taste

Directions:

Add oil to large skillet, set over medium heat and sauté onions for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and celery, cook for additional 2 minutes until celery is soft. Add bell peppers, spices, and tomato paste, stirring for another 2 minutes.

Slowly add the tomato sauce and stock to the pan and stir to combine, and bring mixture to a boil, reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and continue simmering until shrimp are pink. Serve over brown rice.

Nutritional Information - 1 serving (1 1/4 of Shrimp Creole and 1/2 cup brown rice). Makes 4 servings.

Calories: 302

Fat: 4.9 g

Sodium - 277 mg

Cholesterol - 129 mg

Carbohydrates - 45 g

Iron clad steamer, GUADALUPE of the Mexican Navy.

As we have discussed in the past, the Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. It was created to protect and defend the coastline of Texas and offer protection for the shipping and trade that was desperately needed for the growing republic.

The first Texas Navy (1836 to 1837) helped win independence from Mexico by preventing a Mexican blockade of the Texas coast, seizing dozens of Mexican fishing vessels and sending their cargoes on to the Texas volunteer army.  By October 1837, all of the first Texas Navy ships had been lost at sea, sunk by the Mexican Navy, run aground, had been captured or sold.

The second Texas Navy (1839 to 1846) had many challenges as Mexico continued to refusal acknowledgement of the independence of the Republic of Texas.

The GUADALUPE was the world's first iron plated steam warship designed to operate in the Gulf of Mexico with a draft of 9 ft. when loaded with a ten day supply of coal.  She was 183 feet long with a beam of 30 feet and could steam at 9 knots. The ship carried two sixty-eight pounder Paixhan guns that fired explosive shell "as large as pumpkins".

At the time, the GUADALUPE was considered the world's most powerful warship.

The Mexican steamer "GUADALUPE" was the most powerful warship of its time.