by Ann Hinds

Created on: May 09, 2010   Last Updated: March 31, 2012

One of the biggest concerns when camping is whether perishable food will remain cold enough. Don't throw food away. There are ways to keep food from spoiling in the ice chest. Camping should be fun, so follow these easy steps to insure that the food in the ice chest is safe to eat. A good ice chest, a thermometer and a brine mixture will insure that you will not need to worry about your perishables again.

Start with a good ice chest. While there are many on the market, look for one that has a rating that says it will keep food cold for several days. That will not guarantee that the food will last any longer, but that it has more insulation and the seal will be tighter. An inexpensive thermometer can also help insure that the food remains cold. When the ice chest reaches a temperature that indicates that the interior is not cold enough, add more ice.   

One of the best ways to keep food cold is to create a brine mixture that freezes at a lower temperature than water. The brine, a mixture of salt and water,  will even keep ice from melting. Science lesson aside, brine freezes at a temperature lower that 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make a mixture of salt and water. Fill a one-gallon water jug with water within one inch from the top and add a half cup of salt. Table salt works fine. Shake it to distribute the salt and place it in the freezer. Until it is frozen, shake it occasionally to redistribute the salt.

When it is time to load the food into the ice chest, place the gallon jug in the bottom. Add the ice and then layer the foods. If it is feasible, take two ice chests - one to store items that need to remain frozen and one that the family will be opening repeatedly. One of the biggest reasons for food spoilage is when, for some reason, the ice chest is not closed completely.  

Freeze as many of the perishables as possible. Food can be prepared and frozen for the trip. Stews and soups are easy to freeze and stored in freezer bags. Plop them into a pan and dinner is done.

Place the items that need to be kept frozen at the bottom of the ice chest. Layer the items that need to be chilled but not frozen at the top. Keep items like soda and beer away from the brine solution. They may actually freeze and leak into the ice chest itself.

If a gallon jug is too big, smaller water bottles can be used. A creative camper made several water bottles, adding onion and garlic salt. As the ice melted, the water and the seasonings were used to flavor the dishes that were being created.

This is one of the easiest ways to prevent food spoilage. Camping should be a fun experience, and knowing that your food will be safe to eat removes one less worry. However, the steaks that you are planning to eat for dinner should be moved to the top of the ice chest early in the day. With the brine containers, they may not defrost in enough time. When you return from the camping trip, put the container back into the freezer for the next trip.

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