How can I keep food warm in a cooler?
I work for a local senior center that delivers hot meals to area seniors. We have run across the problem of keeping the food warm for delivery. Some one suggested heating bricks and wrapping them and putting them in the coolers, but we are unsure how that works and what kind of bricks. Seeking information on different methods and also the bricks.
March 16th, 2011 at 1:45 am
go to a resturaunt supply store and buy insulated delivery bags like pizza drivers use
or heat bricks (regular building/paving bricks) in the oven, wrap in a towel and put in cooler with food
March 16th, 2011 at 2:17 am
Newspaper is a good insulator. Styrofoam coolers are inexpensive and will keep the food warm if you have wrapped the food containers in several thicknesses of newspaper.
March 16th, 2011 at 3:05 am
Water coolers can be used to keep food warm too. Line it with aluminum foil, and pad it with towels. Avoid having hot dishes touch the sides of the cooler directly so that it doesn’t melt the plastic cooler.
March 16th, 2011 at 3:20 am
Around the holidays we use coolers to keep our foods warm until its time to eat. The coolers themselves keep the food warm for hours without any additional heating sources in them.
March 16th, 2011 at 3:45 am
The best way to keep food warm or cold is to wrap it in paper. I travel a lot and keep food hot or cold by using an outer wrap of much paper then I put it in a cooler. You can also put several sheets of paper on top of every thing before you close the cooler, this will keep the temperature.
March 16th, 2011 at 4:32 am
Yes you can take red bricks put them in the oven than take them out and wrap a towel around them put them in the cooler. Old wise task. Now the new way is to buy one of the sliver bags it is quite large which holds the heat quite well sold in most food stores or department stores. Sister in-law has one they are wonderful. The bricks will cool off by the mid day. Good-Luck! Great Job helping others
March 16th, 2011 at 4:33 am
Put some hot water bottles (the kind you use when your sick) in the bottom of the cooler.
March 16th, 2011 at 5:01 am
A real simple way without adding weight or taking up space is to boil water (enough to fill half way more or less) and let it set in the cooler with the lid closed for 30 minutes or so and simply dump out the water. This should retain heat for around an hour.
March 16th, 2011 at 5:53 am
I have pads that can be heated in the microwave, of frozen in the freezer.
Can’t remember where I got them