Use Contractor Tubs For Summer Party Food

For summer parties, some people use a kids swimming pool to put ice in to keep food cold. I found that by the end of the afternoon on a warm day, the food is literally "swimming" in water as the ice melts, creating a mess and watered down food in some cases. My solution was to purchase contractors tubs, available at home improvement centers, and use those instead.

What I do is put a layer of ice in the bottom and then put the whole tub in a large trash bag. Now the food stays not only cold, but the containers stay dry as well. An added bonus is that it is easier to dump out at the end of the party, because they are not so heavy and clumsy. I just dump out the water and any ice that is left, let them dry, and put them away for the next party. The trash bags are hung on the clothesline to dry and can be put with the tubs to use again or used as trash bags as they were intended.

3 or 4 of these tubs seem to be enough for a party of 30-40 people. These could also be used for any indoor party, as they take up a lot less space than a swimming pool.

By Tru from Lena, WI