How to Keep Food Cold at a Summer Outdoor Party
Outdoor parties are a relaxing and entertaining way to spend the long lazy days of summer, but food safety can be a serious concern at these events. With sweltering summer temperatures, keeping food cold is no easy task. Dishes that get too warm become breeding grounds for bacteria and threaten the health of your guests. Take precautions to keep your cold foods safely chilled at your summer outdoor parties to ensure that everyone enjoys a safe meal. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Divide cold foods such as salads into manageable portions. Use smaller serving dishes and refill them with fresh salad from the refrigerator when they are empty. Rinse empty dishes before refilling them to remove any traces of bacteria or dirt. To further simplify your serving methods, fill small Tupperware containers or jars with individual servings of cold salads that your guests can pick up as is from the serving table. Keep these containers closed until it is time to eat to keep bacteria out.
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Set serving dishes and storage containers with salads or other cold perishables atop a shallow dish of ice to keep them cold on the serving table.
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Keep perishables in a cooler until you are ready to serve them. At events where you do not have access to a refrigerator, such as picnics at a park rather than backyard parties, take along at least two coolers. Fill the coolers with ice 30 minutes before adding the food. Keep perishable food in one cooler and drinks in another. Keep the lid tightly closed until you are ready to eat to keep the food as cold as possible.
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Store your coolers in a shady area to keep the ice from melting too quickly. Replace the ice as it melts and drain off excess water.
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Discard any perishable items that have been left in the sun for more than two hours. If the outdoor temperature is 90 degrees F or higher, discard the food after only one hour.
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