Why does hot food placed in a picnic cooler keep cooking?
A modern picnic cool box is used to keep food cool inside it during the day. However, when you place a hot stew inside the box and close the box, the stew carries on cooking slowly. Why does this happen?
Best Answer
What you call a "modern picnic cool box", I assume, is also known as a "cooler" in other parts of the world. This is generally a well-insulated, most often plastic, container. It could be hard-sided or made of soft material. The container and insulation is designed to maintain a consistent temperature. So, cold things remain colder longer, but also hot things remain hotter longer. It's the same principle at play in an insulated drink container (Thermos is a common brand). Also at play in your question is a phenomenon called "carry over cooking". Food retains heat and continues to cook, even after it is removed from the heat. Usually not a concern with a stew, which slowly cools when you are finished cooking. However, when you place your stew into a cooler, fairly soon after it is removed from the heat, it will take much longer to cool. Carry over cooking will be impacting your final product.
Pictures about "Why does hot food placed in a picnic cooler keep cooking?"
Quick Answer about "Why does hot food placed in a picnic cooler keep cooking?"
The sides of the cooler are insulated, which means they reduce the heat transfer through them. If you put something hot on one side, and something cold on the other, their temperatures will stay different longer than if the cooler were not there.Does a cooler keep things hot?
Coolers don't have a heating element. They can stop heating escaping, thus keeping food hot, but they aren't able to warm food up. So pre-heat your food and remember, you're heating it to eat later in the day. So make it hotter than eating temperature as it will cool down over time.Why do foods or drinks inside the picnic cooler cool?
Portable coolers stay cold with the magic of insulation and ice. The insulation, which is usually made from foam or plastic, lines the inside of your cooler, slowing down the circulation of warm air. The ice, meanwhile, keeps the inside of your cooler nice and chilly.How do you keep hot food warm at a picnic?
Line the bottom of a cooler with newspaper or paper shopping bags and place heat packs across the bottom. Place the food on top and another heat pack on top of the food. Throw things like your picnic rug, table cloth or towels on top to fill empty space and keep the heat in.Can you use a Yeti cooler to keep food hot?
Will my YETI\xae Cooler keep my hot items hot? You might be surprised to read this, but YES. The same insulation and thick walls that keep the cooler cold also keep the heat.Can You Refrigerate Cooked Food? | Hot Food In The Fridge?
More answers regarding why does hot food placed in a picnic cooler keep cooking?
Answer 2
The sides of the cooler are insulated, which means they reduce the heat transfer through them. If you put something hot on one side, and something cold on the other, their temperatures will stay different longer than if the cooler were not there. So if you have something cold inside and hot air outside, the cooler keeps the stuff inside cold. If the stuff you have inside is hotter than the air outside, then the cooler is effectively keeping the air cool; it's keeping the stuff inside from heating up the colder air outside. The physics are the same whether it's keeping stuff outside from heating up the stuff inside, or keeping the stuff inside from heating up the stuff outside.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Francesco Paggiaro, Dids, Pixabay