Here are some ideas on the best way to pack your cooler/ice
chests and also some FAQ concerning your cooler.
If you are going on a long trip, it's best to bring one cooler for
beverages/drinks and a separate cooler for food. The reason: beverage coolers are opened frequently, allowing cold air to escape.
Coolers with food will stay colder longer because it will be opened less frequently.
Depending on the length of your trip/day out, a separate cooler with extra ice will help you to replenish ice in food and
beverage coolers.
Wash all perishable foods, such as fruits & vegetables before you leave home.
Pack all foods in air tight bags or sealed plastic containers - this helps prevent cross contamination.
Ice packs are available in many different sizes and styles.
Reusable Gel Ice Paks are available in our store. For the larger coolers the ice wraps are recommended
since they can be wrapped around foods or used as a "wall of ice" so to
speak. For the softer coolers, we advise that you DO NOT put loose ice in the food coolers.
The reason for this is simple,
the sharp edges of the ice can rip the soft lining and ice melts faster and makes
the cooler heavy
and misshapen. In order to prolong usage of your cooler, it must be
taken care of.
Beverage cooler tips: Pre-chill beverages before placing them in the cooler.
Pre-cooling preserves ice, so you will need less ice to cool drinks down. Since cold air travels down,
place beverages in the cooler first and ice last. If possible, try to keep your cooler out of the sun/
out of a hot car. Try finding a shaded area to keep your cooler.
Food cooler tips: To keep food cold for long weekend getaways, several ice paks
are best. Or you can use a block of ice. This will keep your food colder for a longer
period of time. Always place ice blocks on the bottom of the cooler (since they are heavier and bigger than ice packs).
Always pack perishable foods directly from the refrigerator into the cooler. Keep foods dry and safe from
cross contamination by placing in air tight bags or sealed plastic containers. Again, we suggest
using several ice-paks. Also, to fill up the spaces, put a couple of small water
bottels in your freezer the night before. Place frozen bottles in the gaps. Immediate ice paks PLUS extra water if you get thirsty!
Keep hot foods warm. Coolers can be used for cooling AND keeping foods warm. We have found the best way to keep foods warm is to use hot packs - which can be found on our
Reusable Gel Ice Paks page.
Once the food is warm/hot, wrap up your items in tin foil. Place the hot pack under and around your foods and then wrap with a kitchen towel then carefully place in the cooler. Try filling up spaces with kitchen towels - this is important as not allowing for empty space will help keep foods hot. Also, putting extra towels will prevent your items from moving thus avoiding spills.
- A cooler is not meant to re-chill food that has remained at a temperature of 40°F or above for one hour or more. Only food that
has remained at safe temperatures should be placed back into the cooler. To be safe, throw out any food you are unsure of.
- A full cooler will maintain safer temperatures longer than a half empty cooler.
- Thaw items in the refrigerator or cooler, never thaw meat at room temperature or in the sun.
- Keep perishable foods in cooler until just before serving.
Tips on Cleaning Your Cooler
Wash interior of cooler with warm soapy water. To sanitize cooler, we suggest spraying the
inside with an equal mix of water and white vinegar. Leave lid on cooler OPEN to
air dry. This is important - if you close your cooler whilst damp, there will be
an odor. Some coolers come with removable liner. Remove liner and wash with warm soapy water.
FAQ
You have so many great coolers, I don't know which one I want.
We do have a great selection and sometimes it's hard to know which is best for what.
The
backpack cooler combos are great for picnics, a day at the beach,
camping or hiking... The
best thing about these backpack coolers is that they have a dry section at the top for your "dry" goods and an insulated bottom section for your food and/or beverages.
This
Backpack Outdoor Cooler has one LARGE insulated cooler
section (with multiple pockets). All of these backpack coolers are really sporty,
comfy and convenient.
The
Insulated Cooler Totes are really stylish and classy, with many colors and styles,
and are ideal for the ladies. Excellent for the farmers market, going grocery
shopping or a day at the beach.
The Lunch Coolers are ideal for a work day, fully insulated, some
come in 2 sections, others with added utensils.
The
Picnic Coolers are fully loaded, meaning they have all the accessories required for a picnic day out, glasses, plates, napkins
and so on. For a day at the beach or family day out, we have a fine selection of
picnic coolers to meet your needs. Bring along a matching
insulated wine cooler pouch for the extra beverages.
The
Coolers on Wheels are ideal for traveling. The wheels are easy to roll and
you can get quite a lot of food in the insulated main compartment. The rolling
Musicoolers are ideal for that special beach trip or vacation. Some customers use them to transport
their food, some love bringing them on their business conventions. They
also
collapse for easy storage.
These radio coolers are an excellent treat. They come in many sizes and
colors.
Basically all
coolers serve the same purpose. They cool or keep foods warm AND look fashionable and stylish at
the same time!
How do I know if the
ice chest coolers
are the right size?
All ice chest coolers have the dimension sizes noted, plus to give you an idea of how
big the coolers are, we have stated the number of 12oz cans that each is capable
of holding. Some coolers are soft body, some have the
hard body cooler.
If the coolers are
collapsible coolers this will also be noted. If this is not noted, then chances are the cooler is not a collapsible cooler. In most cases,
we have noted as to whether the cooler has a
large insulated compartment or
a
small insulated compartment.
Some of our
lunch box coolers are big enough for lunch AND dinner.
Please check sizes.
Do they all have removable liners? Are they
leak proof?
Some of our food and beverage coolers do have
removable liners, this is also noted. All coolers are
leak proof,
and all inner liners are easy to clean with warm water and soap.
Can you bring the rolling coolers on wheels aboard airlines?
The
rolling coolers are ideal for travel, they fit most carry on guidelines to bring aboard airlines - please check
with airlines for confirmation.
Why do you suggest NOT putting loose ice into the cooler? What ice packs should I use?
Ice packs are available in many different sizes and styles.
Reusable Ice Pakcs are also available in our store. For the larger coolers the ice wraps are recommended
since they can be wrapped around foods or used a "wall of ice" so to
speak. For the softer coolers, we advise that you DO NOT put loose ice in the food coolers.
The reason for this is simple,
the sharp edges of the ice can rip the lining and ice melts faster and makes
the
ice chest cooler heavy
and misshapen. In order to prolong usage of your cooler, it must be
taken care of.
How long will my food and/or beverages stay cold/hot?
Your cooler should last all day (see above
for tips). Obviously the way you
pack your cooler and how many times you open your cooler will determine how long
your food and/or beverages will stay hot/cold.
Have fun with your cooler and please feel free to email us with any questions!
