Recipe: Packing for Picnics - A Checklist and How-Tos

PACKING FOR PICNICS - A CHECKLIST AND HOW-TOS

"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
__ Play stic 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
__ Thermos filled with hot coffee
__ Soft drinks, water, sparkling water, beer, and/or wine
__ Whole lemons and limes
__ Candles, candle, holders, and matches
__ Flashlight

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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.

Pack the food just before leaving for the picnic.

Source: The Taste of Summer by Diane Rossen Worthington