Using Dry Ice in Your Cooler
Thursday April 17, 2008
Diane sent me an email asking what I thought about using dry ice and/or freezing food before hand? My reply:"Using dry ice in your cooler is a great idea, if you can get it. Here's another tip: wrap the dry ice in a few layers of newspaper and place it on top of the food. You can place regular ice below, and the dry ice will last longer, if you don't let it come in contact with any water. Freezing foods before a trip is also a great way to conserve ice in your cooler." ~ DavidMore about prolonging ice in your cooler
Comments
I disagree. We tried this once. While it DOES keep your food cool longer, and melts much slower, it gives food items (especially fruits like apples and oranges) a chemical taste. We did not enjoy it at all.
I love using dry ice. It keeps things very cold. Then it evaporates rather than melts so there’s no messy water to drain from the cooler. I have a friend who claims it will even keep ice cream cold. Haven’t tried that yet.
Dry ice,if it is put in direct contact with the cooler, will crack the plastic that most coolers are made of. This is speaking from experience on my part and also of a friend who did not believe this would happen.
If you use dry ice protect the plastic from direct contact with the extreme cold of the dry ice.
Dry ice is good. Be sure to handle carefully. Also it can build up pressure as it releases gases. I know when making Rootbeer, it can cause the lid to come off. It isn’t always the best idea. I have camped a lot and if you just keep the coolers out of the sun, lots of ice and don’t open them too often, the contents stay good. I use a different cooler for drinks or other items where I know it will be opened and closed alot. Keep your meats separate and they will keep colder and if you don’t open it as often. Camping can be fun or a disaster, depending on your approach. Plan ahead.
Here are some tips to increase the life of your ice:
Pre-chill drinks and food prior to going into cooler.
Pre-chill cooler itself (add ice several hours before use).
Pre freeze drinking water.
Load food/drinks in the order youre going to use.
If possible, use two coolers. One for drinks, one for food.
Keep air space to a minimum.
Load ice last, cold air travels down.
Block ice lasts longer, crushed ice cools faster. Its a good idea to use both.
Leave melted ice water in cooler.
Keep lid tightly closed.
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