We are going away on holiday soon, and last year we drove straight to our holiday rental. This year, hubby wants to leave early and spend the day at the beach.
How long would you trust a cooler with cooler packs to keep food cold? One food item would be a frozen chichen, so that would act like a block of ice. We are talking about a 6-7 hour time period. We do have access to a frig that plugs into the car, so we could reduce it by 2-3 hours.
I really don't want to have to go to Meijer to shop when we get there. It would be nice to make salads and things ahead of time, but I'm not sure about spending the day at the beach and keeping food in a cooler. We could add ice to it....
Thoughts on this?
ETA: there will also be frozen pizza dough that I would use the night we got there.
We have an IGLOO cooler, and we won't be opening it up.
It takes two days for ice to melt after a party.
We go camping for several days. We have the 5 day cooler, but as long as you keep ice in it.. all should be fine. The food cooler since there is usually frozen meat in there stays the best. as long as you have one bag of ice in there it should be fine.
Camping we get one bag per cooler a day.
I think it would be fine. We go to the local pool for 4-6 hours on weekends sometimes and the food we don't eat is still cold when we get home. The ice is only melted if the cooler is in the direct sunlight.
I think if you add ice to it when you stop you should be fine. Food doesn't need to be cold all day. I personally think it will be just fine. I would layer some of the ice packs if you have a deep cooler.
A few years ago I bought a few long sheets of frozen ice. You can get them anywhere, I think Igloo makes them. It looks like a sheet of ice cubes and you can reuse them. I like them because they are flat but still have a large cooling surface area. If I'm packing a lot I will put one on the bottom, one in the middle and one on the top.
I would start with those and then add real ice when you stop for gas if necessary. I would do it. Also, if you want to spend the money, they make "super coolers" now that keep ice frozen for like 3 days. We have a smallish one and love it. We take it camping and it really does work...but as someone else said it lasts longer without opening the lid a lot.
Will you keep the cooler with you in the car or at the beach? How big is the cooler? You need to purchase a 7-8 lb. bag of ice. Also, save empty milk jugs and freeze 1-2 with water (almost to the top - leave room for expansion) and put those in the cooler. These serve like block ice. When we are out camping and it is a hot day, we buy ice once a day.
Coolers keep food cool, not cold. That's important to remember.
Maybe this will help:
http://www.preparedpantry.com/How-Long-Will-Food-Keep-in-...
we save empty juice bottles (48 oz size) freeze them rock solid. and put them in our cooler for camping. they last from Friday afternoon till sunday noon. We put 3 of them in the cooler and they do keep it cold. if you can park yoru car I the shade.. that will help. while you are at the beach.
If your cooler will keep ice for two days, it will keep your food for a minimum for two days.
Your cooler keeps ice as ice when the outside temperature is in the 80's or higher because of insulation. When I know the car is going to be hot on the inside because of the weather and sun shining on the inside, I will lay a quilt or blankets on the ice chest to increase the insulation value. hat causes the temperature inside the cooer/ice chest to stay lower.
Good luck to you and yours.
We have an IGLOO cooler. If we don't constantly open it up? things stay cold for a good 12 hours...we had to do that when we lost electricity one year.
In a car? You will be using the A/C right? It won't be in direct sunlight to heat it up, right? It will be under things? If so - i say go for it!
Put in a bunch of ice blocks and do not open at all during day and it should be fine.
It really depends on your cooler. Maybe you can google the model and see if it has any claims as to how long a sealed cooler will stay at what temperature. It depends on the insulating material that is used. It also depends on whether the items you put in are frozen or just cold and also how many times you open the cooler. And also how you pack the cooler--see this article for some hints on how to pack http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/PackingCooler.htm
which might address some of your questions. Have a fun trip!
Less than a day? No problem.
If you wanted to invest in a super cooler, my son bought one that is supposed to keep things cold for several days!
This cooler was probably $60 (in central Texas), though.... (bought it at a local "big box" retailer that is nation-wide..... (This may be the one that he got.... the ad says it keeps ice cold for 7 days! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Igloo-Quick-and-Cool-150-Quart-... )
(Sorry about the walmart ad, but that was the only way I could see to find what one it was...)
He used it to brine a brisket..... the meat was in a large bag with the brine mix, and it was then put in the cooler filled with ice....
He brined the brisked for 12-24 hours, I believe.... took the brisket out, and left the ice in the cooler.
2 days later, there was still ice floating in the water (from some of the ice that did thaw...)
As long as there is still ice in the cooler, it is keeping things plenty cool.
Depends on the cooler. We have one that the ice doesn't start to melt, unless you open it, in 24 hours. A normal cooler it is shorter. All is dependent on whether you open it.
Being a mom with two Boy Scouts, if stored proberly, a good week. We always start the meat being frozen and eat within 2-3 days. As long as you keep adding ice you should be good.
It really depends on your cooler. Maybe you can google the model and see if it has any claims as to how long a sealed cooler will stay at what temperature. It depends on the insulating material that is used. It also depends on whether the items you put in are frozen or just cold and also how many times you open the cooler. And also how you pack the cooler--see this article for some hints on how to pack http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/PackingCooler.htm
which might address some of your questions. Have a fun trip!
