When I have to put out dinner and don't want to refrigerate the bowl of sliced fruit, for example, because there isn't enough room in the fridge, I do this. I will put the fruit in a bowl, cover it with a Corelle plate and put as many small freezer packs (blue ice for lunchboxes) as will fit on the top of the plate. Keeps it cold enough to last while I prepare the rest of dinner. Good for at least an hour. I don't know if this would work with a mayonnaise based product, but based on the theory that heat rises and cold falls, the fruit seems to be remaining tolerably cold until meal time.
We have a special shelf in the freezer just for the little blue ices. Been doing this for a couple of years and am satisfied with the results. I got the idea from the Chillzane platters. However, I was wondering how they could keep the food cold enough since the cold radiates downward, rather than upward to the surface of the plate. I would have purchased one of those platters, but they need to be hand washed and I prefer to use a dishwasher (seems more sanitary).
By Holly from Richardson, TX
By (Guest Post)
05/04/2007
You could also put the bowl of fruit into a larger bowl that had ice in it. Try to surround the fruit bowl w/ the ice, you don't need much. And, of course, cover the fruit w/ plastic wrap or some such to keep it clean. This works on a buffet also, or a picnic
By (Guest Post)
05/04/2007
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