How to Keep Your Food Cool While Camping

www.goodhousekeeping.com

When camping, it is imperative to keep your food properly stored. This is especially true if you bring food items that will spoil if not kept cold. Having a proper cooler is probably the most important step in keeping your food cold for a long period of time. With a little preplanning, you should be able to hold any type of food for days without it spoiling.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Cooler Frozen ice bottles Ice bags
Cooler
Frozen ice bottles
Ice bags

Step 1

Plan your menu of the meals you intend on having while on your camping trip. This will give you an idea of how many refrigerated items you will have to keep cold. You will then be able to choose what cooler will best fit your needs.

Step 2

Choose a cooler that will allow your food to take up no more than 60 percent of the inside storage space. This is especially important if you plan on storing food for 3 days or more. The more space that is left inside the cooler, the more space you'll have to insert ice. Designate a cooler for food and one for drinks. By combining a food and drink cooler together, you'll lose more cold air when people open it frequently.

Step 3

Freeze any meat products that you won't be using your first day at camp. If you're bringing items such as bacon, hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and anything else that might spoil if proper refrigeration isn't maintained, freeze them and allow them to thaw naturally in the cooler. This will keep your food safe longer and will also keep your cooler colder at the same time.

Step 4

Fill plastic bottles with water and freeze them. Any type of drink bottle will do, but the flatter it is shaped, the easier it will be to set something on top of it in the cooler. It will take quite a few days for the bottles to melt and will prolong the coolness of your food and the cooler. You can also freeze single-serving water bottles and place them around the open areas inside of the cooler. They can then be used to take on a hike.

Step 5

Place items that need to be cold but not frozen against the frozen bottles of water. Place items such as eggs, cheese, and vegetables in a plastic container and sit on top of one of the frozen water bottles. Items such as milk or juice can be placed directly against the bottles to keep them cold. Take up any extra space in the cooler with a bag or two of ice.

Resources

USDA: Safe Food Handling Information

Article Written By Joyce Starr

Joyce Starr is a professional writer from Florida and owns a landscaping company and garden center. She has published articles about camping in Florida, lawn care and gardening and writes for a local gardening newsletter. She shares her love and knowledge of the outdoors and nature through her writing.

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