You pull the cooler open on day three of a trip, and for a half second you hesitate before checking the meat. The ice looks fine, and the drinks are still cold, but something about day three and beyond makes you second-guess whether what is underneath is still safe to eat. If you are […]
Most people don’t realize they bought the wrong cooler until it’s too late, usually somewhere around day two, when the ice is gone, and the food underneath it isn’t far behind. According to the FDA, perishable food left between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours, or just one hour if it’s above 90°F […]
According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, bacteria grow most rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the “Danger Zone,” some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. A cooler spends much of its working life sitting right in that range as ice melts and contents slowly warm, which is exactly […]
You pack the cooler the night before, ice to the brim, drinks nestled in, lid clicked shut. By day three, you’re digging through lukewarm water for a soda that used to be cold. So how long should a cooler keep ice, really? The honest answer depends on more than the number printed on the lid. […]
You load up the cooler, toss in a couple of bags of ice, and call it good. Hours later at the campsite or tailgate, everything still feels cold, so it feels safe. That assumption is where most food poisoning on a trip actually starts. How to pack a cooler safely comes down to more than […]
