Chill Out and About | Stats/Uses

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Assembly & Use Instructions

Instructions Flyer

Chill Out & About Stats

Field Test Data:

Have you ever attended a party and wondered how long the food had been sitting out before you arrived? You really wanted to eat some of the ranch dip or potato salad, but decided not to because the last time, the food had been out for hours and made you sick. The Chill Out & About® ("COA") stay-cool food serving and storage system addresses this age-old problem.

The following is an excerpt from a September 2003 article on food safety published by the USDA:

Cold/Refrigerated Take-Out or Delivered Food
Cold foods should be kept at 40 °F or below. Refrigerate perishable foods as soon as possible, always within 2 hours after purchase or delivery. If the food is in air temperatures above 90 °F, refrigerate within 1 hour. Keep foods cold on the buffet table by nesting serving dishes of food in bowls of ice. Use small platters and replace them with fresh refrigerated platters of food often, rather than adding fresh food to a serving dish already on the table.

When take-out or delivered food is purchased cold for an outdoor event—like a picnic, sporting event, or outdoor buffet—a cooler with ice is a practical alternative to a refrigerator. The cooler should be packed with plenty of ice. Keep the cooler in the shade when possible. Remember the 2-hour rule when food is removed from the cooler. Discard all perishable foods that have been left at outside temperatures longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in air temperatures above 90 °F.

United States Department of Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food Safety Education Staff
For more food safety information, contact:
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)
TTY: 1-800-256-7072
E-mail: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
September 2003

As the USDA notes, it is important to ensure the food you’re serving is safe, and a cooler with ice is a good alternative to a refrigerator. In lieu of using a cooler, which may be large, unattractive, inconvenient, and cumbersome you can use the Chill Out & About® stay-cool food serving and storage system.

We recently tested our 6-piece set indoors and outdoors, and although no product can replace a refrigerator, you can see that the food tested (potato salad) stayed cool for hours. During our testing, we also tracked the temperature of a 4-cup plastic container of potato salad that was not kept cool by any means (such as a bed of ice or Chill Out & About®).

Over the course of 3.5 hours we noted the following:

Results of Indoor Testing:*

Results of Outdoor Testing:*

In the outdoor testing, if your food is 40°F when removed from the refrigerator, it will be almost 74°F after 3 ½ hours if you do not use the Chill Out & About® or any other cooling methods. However, if you use the Chill Out & About®, your food will be 24°F cooler.

As you can see, with both the indoor and outdoor testing the potato salad stayed significantly cooler and remained crisp, cool, and delicious using the Chill Out & About® stay-cool food serving and storage system.

*Test results are unofficial and have not been certified by an independent lab. Your results may vary based upon factors not measured, such as intensity of light, wind speed and food type and density, among others.


Chill Out & About Uses

The Chill Out & About® stay-cool food serving and storage system has a multitude of everyday uses. Below are some of the ways we have used this versatile product. However, every time we think we’ve thought of all of the potential uses, someone gives us a great new idea! We'd love to hear from you with your ideas on additional uses and recipes for Chill Out & About.

Events and Occasions

• Picnics
• Pool Parties
• Sporting Events
• Family Reunions
• Tailgates (college and pro football or baseball)
• Indoor Parties
• The “Big Game”
• New Year’s Eve
• Birthday Parties
• Outdoor Concerts
• Potlucks (Chill Out & About® makes transportation easy and mess-free)
• Kids’ Soccer and Baseball Games
• At the Lake or Beach (No spilling on the boat!)
• Holiday Parties
• Sleepovers
• Class Parties

6-piece set

• Potato Salad and Cole Slaw
• Broccoli Salad and Three Bean Salad
• Tri-colored Pasta Salad and Fruit Salad
• Chicken Salad and Tuna Salad
• Salsa and Spinach Dip
• Pudding and Gelatin
• Cold Soups (Gazpacho, Borscht, etc.)
• Sliced Lemon and Limes and Other Garnishes
• Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles, and Other Hamburger Fixings
• Dips and Dressings (Hummus, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Ranch, etc.)

8-piece set

• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Cold Cuts with Mayo and Mustard
• Tomatoes and Mozzarella with Balsamic Vinegar
• Fruit Salad with Yogurt and Whipped Cream Dips
• Veggies with Ranch and Bleu Cheese Dips
• Green Salad with Ranch and French Dressings
• Chicken Fingers or Wings with Honey Mustard and BBQ sauces
• Shrimp with Cocktail and Tartar Sauces