Keep Food Cold at a Party
While planning a party, you need to determine a method for keeping your cold foods at a safe temperature (40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, like a refrigerator). If your party is outdoors, it will likely take place during warm temperatures. If it is indoors, you may want to keep food set out, where guests can help themselves. If your food is not kept at the proper temperature, it will melt, become undesirable or unsafe to eat. Protect your guests against foodborne illness and ensure a successful party by keeping your food cold.
Instructions
1. Purchase at least 10 bags of ice. It is better to have a few too many bags than to run out of ice.
2. Keep the bags of ice together in several plastic foam coolers while you are preparing for the party. These coolers are very effective at temporarily keeping ice cold and you won't have to worry about running out of room in your freezer.
3. Purchase an inflatable tabletop cooler. This kind of cooler costs about $40 and looks like a long mini-pool for kids (see Resources below). Place the tabletop cooler on a table.
4. Purchase large plastic trays that are big enough to fit the plates, bowls and small platters that you plan to use for your cold foods (see Resources below). Surround the inflatable tabletop cooler with these trays or line them up on a separate table.
5. Fill the inflatable cooler with ice when your first guests arrive and then place the cold food on top. This is an ideal place for food such as a long hero sandwich.
6. Fill the large plastic trays with ice and "nest" the smaller food dishes inside. For example, if you have a small bowl full of potato salad, nestle it into the ice in the tray. You can also put the ice in zip-close baggies first and sandwich the bags between the tray and food dish.
Tags: tabletop cooler, cold foods, Cold Party, cooler with, Food Cold Party, inflatable tabletop