- Freeze fruit ahead of time in quart-sized baggies. When you pile them up in your cooler, they'll double as ice packs. Plus, they're delicious whether they stay frozen or thaw out. Try: grapes, diced pineapple, watermelon, or mango
- Cover plastic containers of food (particularly saucy ones) with a layer or two of plastic wrap before putting the lid on. For even more protection against leaks, use a wide rubber band to secure the lid to the container. Try: GHRI fave, Rubbermaid Lock-Its
Related: Food Coolers Fit for a Picnic
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MuffulettaBring foods and snacks that get better after sitting around, like grain salads, hearty sandwiches, antipasti, and dips. Try: A barley salad, muffuletta, a turkey wrap, olives, hummus, or salsa
- Pack drinks in a separate cooler than the one your main foods are in. The more a cooler is opened, the more cold air it loses. This two-cooler system keeps your perishable items safely tucked away in their own cooler as people grab drinks every few minutes from the other cooler. And don't forget to refill your coolers with ice every 3-4 hours (depending on how hot it is). Try: the Rubbermaid 50 Quart DuraChill Wheeled 5-Day Cooler or the ArcticZone 30 Can IceCOLD Cooler, both given the thumbs up by the GHRI for keeping their cool
- Speaking of drinks, instead of packing all bottled drinks, fill some water bottles halfway with water and freeze the night before (make sure they're standing upright). Then right before leaving the house, fill the rest of the bottle with water. This keeps the water cold, but allows for some drinkable water right away without having to wait 2 hours for thawing. Try: Nalgene OTG Everyday or CamelBak Podium Bottle for spill-proof, hassle-free drinking
What are your favorite picnic-packing tricks? Let me know in the comments!
- by Sherry Rujikarn
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