Chilled gazpacho, fresh lobster salad, buttery shortcake piled high with sweet strawberries-summer cooking is all about making the most of the season's luscious abundance. Revised and updated, this bestselling cookbook now has a beautiful full-color format packed with photographs and colorful sidebars full of helpful hints on cooking and entertaining.
Depending on your mood and the menu, you can take as little paraphernalia or as much as you like. The following is a detailed list to help make your picnic easy and carefree.
A picnic basket, hamper, or tote bag for carrying food and equipment
Food chests to keep food hot or cold
Frozen blue ice for chilled foods
A tablecloth, quilt, sheet, or other ground cover
Large cloth or paper napkins
Wicker holders for paper plates
Plates for appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert
Coffee cups, water glasses, and wineglasses
Flatware and serving pieces
Bottle opener, corkscrew, and can opener
Paper towels
Plastic bags or plastic wrap for leftovers
Large plastic bag for trash
Large plastic bag for soiled dishes and utensils
Small cutting board and knife
Salt, pepper, sugar, cream for coffee, mustard, relish, and other condiments
Fuel and matches if using a hibachi Ice, liquor, and mixes
Packing and serving food on a picnic requires careful planning. These tips will help to ensure your food arrives as fresh as when it left the kitchen.
Pack the foods to be eaten last at the bottom of the bag or chest and those to be eaten first on top, so that you don't have to unpack everything at once.
Use vacuum-packed containers to avoid leaks and soggy bags, taping the lids with masking tape for extra reinforcement. Seal the containers in lock-top plastic bags.
Pack soft foods like deviled eggs, tomatoes, or fruit in hard plastic containers or egg cartons.
If you are serving a hot soup, preheat the thermos with boiling water. For a cold soup, chill the thermos with ice water for several minutes
Divide or cut the portions in your kitchen. It's much easier to serve pieces or slices of grilled chicken or duck than to carve them on site.
Pack garnishes in lock-top plastic bags, sprinkling parsley, basil, mint, and herb flowers with water before packing. Keep them in a cooler.
Finally, strictly observe these practices to avoid food spoilage:
Mayonnaise keeps well in a jar but spoils quickly when added to a salad or sandwich. As a precaution, keep the mayonnaise chilled in the cooler, and dress salads or sandwiches at the picnic site rather than at home.
Keep eggs, dairy products, and uncooked meats well chilled until just before cooking and/or serving.
Make sure there is sufficient breathing room in the cooler to keep the cold air circulating. Don't jam it full, or the temperature will rise.
Don't partially cook the food at home and finish it at the picnic site, as the food will be at the optimum temperature for bacterial invasion during transportation.
