How to Keep Hot Food Hot and Cold Food Cold at a Barbecue or Picnic

Picnics and barbecues are some of the most joyful aspects of summertime. Hot baked beans, cold potato salad, icy beer and steaming hot dogs are not only delicious and fun, the correct temperatures prevent bacteria from growing and causing outbreaks of salmonella or other dangerous bacteria, commonly known as 'food poisoning.' Here are a few important tips for maintaining the healthiest temperatures for our favorite summertime meals.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• One or more ice chests
• A crockpot or two
• A heating pad, bun warmer or hot tray, or large-mouth thermal containers
• A tub of ice
• Rock salt or other coarse salt
• Tightly lidded, air-and-watertight containers

1. TO KEEP HOT FOODS HOT:
   
   Keeping hot foods hot is easiest if you have access to electricity. Simply plug in your crock pot, heating pad, bun warmer or hot tray and set to a temperature that will keep the food at a simmer.
   
   If you are cooking foods such as hot dogs or hamburgers, steaks, chicken or ribs at a barbecue or picnic, it's best to make them in small batches and serve them immediately. Nobody wants a warmed-over one.
2. However, even without electricity, hot food can still be kept hot with the use of thermal containers. A large-mouth thermos works well to keep beans or other liquid or semi-liquid foods hot. Simply preheat the thermos by pouring near-boiling water into it and letting it heat for a few minutes, then pour out the water and pour in the food. If several different dishes are to be kept hot, put them into well-sealed containers in a large ice chest--without the ice--when they are at their hottest, and pack the empty spaces with newspaper or towels or other clean, dry materials. Be sure to put a layer or two of towels on top before closing the ice chest. The food will stay quite hot for at least an hour, using this method, often longer. If the containers in which the food is sealed remain air-and-watertight, and the food was put into it at a very high temperature, no new bacteria can get in. And picnic and barbecue food tend to be eaten up by the time it starts to cool!
3. TO KEEP COLD FOODS COLD:
   
   Keeping food cold is both trickier and easier. It's trickier because of the use of ice, which melts and gets into everything, so it's even more important that all food be packed into tightly sealed containers.
   
   Place all foods that need to be kept cold into a pre-chilled thermos or ice chest. Pre-chilling can be accomplished by filling the ice chest or thermos with ice ahead of time and closing it up. When it's time to put the food in, remove the ice, place the food into the ice chest or thermos, then add the ice on top. The fewer times the lid is opened, the longer the cold will stay cold, same as with the refrigerator or freezer at home.
4. Here's a wonderful trick for making beer, soda and other sealed drinks frosty cold: place the cans and/or bottles in a large tub. Add ice cubes or crushed ice, then put in a couple of handfuls of rock salt, sprinkled liberally over the surface of the ice. Stir it in so it's fairly evenly distributed. As the ice begins to melt and the rock salt starts to dissolve into the water, it lowers the freezing temperature of the water and thus chills the drinks even colder! Be careful to remove the drinks before they freeze solid, which WILL happen if you don't check on them frequently!

Tips & Warnings

• Heat rises and cold sinks, so when you put ice into a thermos or ice chest, add it to the top. When heating anything, heat from the bottom.
• Whenever possible, use block ice instead of cubes or crushed ice. If properly sealed, it can last a whole weekend--or more!
• Mayonnaise is not the evil culprit we've been led to believe it is; mayonnaise mixed into potato, macaroni and egg salads can actually help to preserve them, but don't expect it to do this if you leave it in direct sunlight.
• If you are using an electric appliance at a picnic or barbecue, make sure the cord is safely tucked where no one is going to trip over it or jerk it by accident. Spilling hot food all over oneself or one's guests and family can ruin anybody's good time.
• If the leftover food has become room-temperature by clean-up time, it is safer to discard it than to save it, if the container has been opened. If the container has remained sealed, no new bacteria has entered, so it is probably safe. Make several small batches and only open one small container at a time to reduce waste.
• Don't forget the hot pads or kitchen mitts! Handling hot containers can hurt!