Bring Home Frozen Foods From Supermarket.

[Cuban]

I'm looking at a solution to the problem of keeping frozen foods cold for the 45/60 minute drive from the big supermarkets to the village. I've seen a few people with large expanded polystyrene boxes in the back of their pickups, I guessing these would be better if part filled with water or dry ice.

Does anyone have a clever solution to the problem?

Although inside the car is cooler, I don't really want ice melting dripping water or dry ice subliming to gas me/us on the way home.

[November Rain]

What about using an insulated coolbox?

[cathyy]

Yes, get a cooler of some kind, polystyrene or foam is fine. Stop at the minimart before you get to the supermarket and buy several bags of ice. Empty them into the cooler. Add frozen food when you are finished shopping. This worked well in the US for military families making a 2 or 3 hour drive once a month to the closest base to shop. Thailand is a bit warmer, but the time is shorter, too.

[leisurely]

Yes, cool boxes are the answer. The polystyrene ones cost about 100 baht for a decent sized one. I find I don't need to add ice, the frozen nature of the food looks after itself. You can add your dairy and meat to it too to keep that cooled. And they don't leak (unless someone bites a hole in the corner of them!)

[COBBER]

Every few months we make the trip to Makro which is about 50 minutes away and just pack all the frozen stuff tightly into a big cooler box and put just under the lid about 5 bags of ice, leaving the ice in the bags. When home the ice has hardly started to melt so that goes into the freezer with all of the frozen food.

Edited March 12, 2007 by COBBER

[Phil Conners]

Same here, medium sized polystyrene box in the back of the truck. Keeps stuff reasonably cold for up to 3-4 hours without the need to add additional ice (dry or otherwise).

[IvanLaw]

Same here, medium sized polystyrene box in the back of the truck. Keeps stuff reasonably cold for up to 3-4 hours without the need to add additional ice (dry or otherwise).

NB

Important

Ensure you Cool the box interior before adding food

I.e.;

Warm box keep heat in & will start to defrost frozen products,

[Lucifer]

Everyone seems to have missed the obvious one...

A really,really long mains lead. Take your freezer with you.

[Austhaied]

Get one of these.. Available in the larger cities.

[jcgodber]

For the last several years I have been transporting all my frozen and cold foods home using a Thai made Polystyrene 120 liter box. I also have a Coleman camp cooler that I had brought from the U.S. but the Thai box works way better. I find that most of my shopping trips to my home here in Sa Kaeo take just about 2 ½ hours. My food is still frozen when I get home. I bought the box in Aran at the border market place for about 2000 baht as I remember . I know that it was cheaper there than anywhere else I had looked.

Remember to put your frozen stuff on the bottom of the box and the cool stuff on the top as cold sinks towardsthe bottom

Jim

[tutsiwarrior]

in de middle east where the temps are higher we had a Coleman Polylite 34 plastic cool box...would go inta town an' do de shoppin', stop fer lunch an' a couple ob beers then head back out an' de cold items stayed cold throughout widde box in the boot/trunk...widdout ice...

we still got de box an' use it fer cold drinks an' etc when out on de road in de minivan...also makes a convenient foot stool when ye recline yer seat fer a nap...super deluxe an' a valued possession; de MIL wanted ta use it fer a fish tank but I put me foot down...

[ricklev]

I've always assumed that any frozen foods in any Thai supermarket have already been negligently thawed and refrozen.....

[Jet Gorgon]

I've always assumed that any frozen foods in any Thai supermarket have already been negligently thawed and refrozen.....

Possible. I remember seeing boxes of butter, cheese, choc bars etc, dumped on a pier and melting in the midday tropical sun while waiting for the shopkeeper to collect them. And that's just cold stuff.

I don't think I ever bought anything "frozen" in Thailand, except ice cream and ice.

[sceadugenga]

I've always assumed that any frozen foods in any Thai supermarket have already been negligently thawed and refrozen.....

Possible. I remember seeing boxes of butter, cheese, choc bars etc, dumped on a pier and melting in the midday tropical sun while waiting for the shopkeeper to collect them. And that's just cold stuff.

I don't think I ever bought anything "frozen" in Thailand, except ice cream and ice.

Yeah....I've eyed off the frozen shrimp tails at Macro once or twice but it...just...looks as though it's been thawed and refrozen. Kill you quicker than an occasional raw egg I reckon.