Are you planning to take your family out for a picnic? If you answer yes, then you’ve to carry with you packed food. In this regard, our food containers come handy. But before that, you’ll first cook your favourite dish, cool it, and refrigerate it before putting it in food trays ready for the occasion.
Since you had set aside this day to be special to your family, plan for it adequately. Have enough food containers with seals, food trays, cool bags and even ice packs. They are all essential to making your day colourful.
How do you ensure your food safely reaches your destination?
Remember, the choice of food and packaging depends on the distance you will cover. For longer distances, non-perishable foods are recommended. For shorter distances, try out the non-perishable foods like meat.
Make sure your hot packed food is kept at 63C or above and the cold food at 8C or below throughout the storage and picnic period. Another option is to wrap the hot food with a towel to provide insulation hence keeping your food warm.
Heat kills all bacteria in the food. So ensure you maintain it. Consequently, cold foods should be kept away from the hot meals, possibly in a cooler to ensure they remain cold.
Is it possible to carry foods that have liquids or sauce? Yes!
What you need to do is to ensure you pack that food in a way that it’s not going to mess up your car. Employ the use of tight-fitting containers, which will not give a loophole for leakage. In a nutshell, be prepared. Test those containers before setting off to make sure the liquids don’t spill when tipped over.
Remember you are going for outdoor activity. So you have to leave your refrigerator behind. So, why don’t you consider dishes that do not need to be refrigerated?
To ensure you don’t bulk yourself with perishable food; instead, you can decide to try out snacks such as bread, cake, muffins or even canned foods. Do not carry frozen food since you might need to refreeze them when you reach your destination, which might not be possible.
The weather is hot, do I still carry my food?
Probably you are experiencing the hot summers. But your picnic has to happen at all cost though you don’t want to be disappointed when you reach your destination and find that the food has gone bad due to unfavourable weather.
Therefore, before loading the car, open it first and let the warm air out. Then, look for the coldest part of the vehicle to put your food. You won’t be disappointed.
Maintain cleanliness at all times. It does not mean that you forget the rules because you are away from home. To prevent any infections, wash your hands before serving food to your loved ones. The utensils and cookery ought to be clean too.
There you go! With these tips in mind, I’m sure you will carry the food safely to your destination. It will be a picnic like no other. It will be a success and memorable!
