[Sca-cooks] How to keep picnic foods fresh

[Linda M. Kalb]

I use those blue frozen plastic thingies mundanely for food to be eaten
both at lunchtime and later on the train home (mostly for my 2-year-old,
who needs snacks between meals).  8 or 9 hours later the food (items such
as half a cheese sandwich, grapes, nectarines, milk, chocolate milk, water)
is still cool in my lunch cooler and okay to eat.  I also used those blue
plastic freezer thingies to keep breast milk cold in a 12-can size
over-the-shoulder cooler bag when I was pumping during the day at work in a
workplace without a real refrigerator.  They worked for me:  my infant did
not get sick or expire, but be advised that I used two large freezer packs
(so as to surround the bottles on both sides) just to be sure to keep the
precious breastmilk cold.  These also stayed cold the 8-9 hours I needed. I
was inside at room temperature most of the time so I don't know how freezer
packs would hold up in, say, hot car conditions.  If you have air
conditioning you should be okay.  But I do recommend keeping a high
proportion of freezer packs to food.

Inga/Linda

At 12:21 PM 8/28/01, you wrote:
>--
>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>
>Hi Everyone,
>I've got a question that maybe you can help me with.  I have to start a file
>on what I call: "traveling food".  Food that can be kept in a cooler and
>eaten about 6-8 hrs later.
>
>I've packed various foods for eating 3-4 hours later but never a whole day
>later.  I usually pack the cooler with those blue frozeen plastic thingies.
>They are still half frozen by the end of the day but is that cold enough to
>keep the food from going bad?
>
>Also, are there certain foods I should stay away from for long term
>picnic-packing?  And is there a special file in the florigium that deals with
>long term food packing. (I would be dealing with a Coleman cooler , some blue
>ice packs and the back seat of a car.
>
>Thanks for your imput.
>Phillipa
>
>Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone
>else.
>           – Judy Garland
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