Keep Grilled Food Warm For Hours With This Genius Cooler Hack

Coolers are crucial for keeping food and drinks cold on camping trips and long summer days outside. The reason this handy tool keeps a low temperature and prevents ice from melting? Insulation. A well-insulated box not only can keep drinks cold — it's also a surprisingly effective way to keep food warm, especially when you're grilling or barbecuing for a crowd.

Having a big cookout or barbecue means you're probably planning on feeding a lot of people, and it's not always feasible to serve food to everyone at the same time. When cooking for a dinner party in the kitchen, it's easy enough to store food in the oven on a low temperature to keep food warm, but it's not always possible to do this when cooking outdoors. It's incredibly handy to have a cooler right alongside the grill or fire, and store the food inside as soon as it's finished cooking. The hotter the food is the better, as the cooler is only capable of retaining existing heat.

Coolers and ice chests are designed to trap temperature; they'll typically keep your food warm for hours, but the length of time depends on the design. This low-tech hack is best for sturdier, hard-shelled coolers made from plastic or metal — Styrofoam coolers aren't ideal here. Cooler bags, like the ones from Trader Joe's, will work, but these won't be able to store larger quantities nor keep the food warm for as long.

Pre-chilling the cooler helps food stay colder for longer, and the opposite is true for hot foods. For this hack, you'll want to start by warming up the inside of the cooler. Pour hot, but not boiling, water into the cooler, close the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes. This step preheats the interior and helps maintain the temperature of your food once it's inside. Pour out the water (be careful if it's still hot!) and dry the cooler thoroughly. To catch any spills or drips, line the bottom with foil and place a towel on top.

Next, wrap your cooked food tightly in foil to trap heat and moisture. After foil-wrapping, you can also wrap them in a clean towel to add extra insulation. The wrapped items go into the pre-warmed cooler, and the more hot food, the easier it is to keep the interior warm. However, you can fill any extra space with more towels to prevent heat from escaping.

This can work for foods like grilled meat, vegetables, potatoes, and grilled corn, and will keep it warm for about three hours. If you're worried about food safety, consider using a meat thermometer to check the temperature before serving — it should remain above 140 degrees Fahrenheit.