Evelyn Rayner: How to Keep Food Cool at BBQ’s

One reason I dislike pot luck dinners and BBQ’s is because the cold food sits out in the hot sun. Who knows what sort of bacteria starts to grow in 100 degree summer heat. This simple tip will help you keep your food cool at BBQ’s and lesson the risk of people getting food poisoning at your party.

My sister’s relatives use this simple technique for keeping food cool at a BBQ for hours. Use a large rectangular plastic tub and fill it with ice. An under-bed storage box is the perfect size to hold multiple dishes.

Keep Food Cool at BBQ’s

First, if possible keep the food indoors. Unfortunately, I realize that’s not always possible, so if the food must be kept outside, keep it in a shady spot. You can use the overhang of a roof, a tent, or even a beach umbrella.

Take your long, shallow plastic box and fill it with ice. Depending on the size of your box you will need 2-3 twenty pound bags of ice. After the box is filled with ice add the bowls or containers of cold items.

Make sure you press the bowls of food down into the ice. This keeps the actual food even colder.

Your food will stay cool for hours even on a hot summer day.

At a typical BBQ, you will only need to keep the food fool for about an hour or two before putting it away.

I don’t recommend using a cooler with this technique even though the ice will last longer. Coolers require significantly more ice, and because they are deeper, people have to reach up and over to serve themselves food.

Using a shallow plastic box keeps the food at a BBQ at a normal height, but still allows for it to be surrounded by ice.

You can cover your food with a lightweight sheet to keep bugs away when people are not eating.

Avoid a case of summer pot luck food poisoning and keep your food on ice this summer.

More Summer Ideas:

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