640121 Tue Jul 28 12:55:01 -0700 2009 38 29 Not About Food 0 4897714 So, we're heading to Northern Wisconsin at the end of August for a couple of weeks as we do every year. Usually we stop somewhere between the airport and our destination - usually a Whole Foods, to pick up groceries. However, we now fly into Chicago and drive up 7 or so hours, and I want to avoid the stop in Madison, the huge grocery bill and the mutilated prosciutto and the cheeses past their prime. To that end, we're thinking of stocking up on things (cheese, cured meats, smoked trout, etc.) in Manhattan, putting them in a cooler w/ some ice packs and just checking the cooler in with our luggage. Is there something I'm not thinking of that would make this a bad idea? Thanks! Note: There is almost nothing available locally in terms of any sort of speciality food etc. Tue Jul 28 12:55:01 -0700 2009 10985 MMRuth 1 4897943 I think it sounds like a great idea. I'm sure that I've seen heavy-duty coolers before on luggage carousels, wrapped in plastic and sealed with duct tape. I'd think that you might need to have some dry ice in there - something that would keep everything ultra-cold for a long duration - in case of flight delays and considering your long shlep by car. Enjoy your trip! Tue Jul 28 13:59:25 -0700 2009 4897714 10787 Deenso 2 4897964 I don't know this for sure but don't dry ice gives off CO2 gas that may cause problems in a sealed container? I got the following by googling "dry ice, sealed container": "Specimens shipped with dry ice may be classified as hazardous and thus need secure packaging such as Saf-T-Pak® or Source Packaging Of N.E.® or Worldwide Medical Express®. Shipping with dry ice can also be potentially dangerous, with risks including explosion, suffocation and contact hazards." Tue Jul 28 14:05:24 -0700 2009 4897943 12082 PeterL 3 4898891 There was a reason I flunked my high school science course... Tue Jul 28 19:51:54 -0700 2009 4897964 10787 Deenso 3 4900948 Dry ice is only allowed under very restricted and strictly regulated conditions in commercial airfreight. Special packing, labelling, weight allowances, etc. You definitely do not want to mess with dry ice. (I am in the cargo transportation industry.) Wed Jul 29 12:28:50 -0700 2009 4897964 13709 buttertart 4 4901345 Not according to the American Airlines Web site that I linked to below. Wed Jul 29 14:25:52 -0700 2009 4900948 11407 JoanN 5 4902684 Hmm, things have apparently changed. Thu Jul 30 06:11:31 -0700 2009 4901345 13709 buttertart 3 4901318 I went to Florida to visit my sis and she couldn't find Tri Tip and asked me to bring her some. I checked with the airlines in advance, and I did have to tell them when I checked it that there was dry ice in the container, but they took it, no problem, and it went in the baggage hold. The only thing I was disappointed in was that the Tri Tips were frozen solid, they were packed with dry ice, but by the end of my trip (From CA to FL was a whole day), the tri tips were thawed out!! Of course, I didn't use a huge cooler but I thought they would stay frozen. But, my point, be sure to tell the airlines that you've got perishables packed with dry ice! Wed Jul 29 14:18:46 -0700 2009 4897964 1095281 Salty_Loves_Sweet 2 4898529 Remember that dry ice is VERY cold. It'll freeze your food, not merely keep it chilled. I once used it when I worried about transporting some ice cream. It worked so well that it was nearly impossible to serve the ice cream because it was frozen so hard. Tue Jul 28 17:31:21 -0700 2009 4897943 19542 Karen_Schaffer 1 4897974 I know you New Yorkers think NYC is the center of the universe, but taking cheese to Wisconsin? Isn't this like trying to bring ice to Alaska or sand to Saudi Arabia? Grocery in Wisconsin more expensive than NYC? Tue Jul 28 14:07:56 -0700 2009 4897714 12082 PeterL 2 4898152 Unfortunately, where we go to in N. Wisconsin, there is, honestly, no good local cheese to be had. Sad but true. We've been going up for many years now, and have tried to "cook locally", but it's really tough to get decent ingredients. And, yes, buying groceries at Whole Foods in Madison, WI, or St. Paul, MN is actually more expensive than in NYC, and the quality is not as good. All of this said, if you have tips on buying great produce/ingredients near Cable, WI, I'm all ears. And, no, this New Yorker (by inclination, not birth) does not think that NYC is the centre of the universe. Tue Jul 28 15:09:26 -0700 2009 4897974 10985 MMRuth 3 4898400 Oh - and I will add - we usually ship a couple of cases of wine from Sam's in Chicago, but I have also tried Wisconsin wines (I don't recommend them). I've bought "fresh" eggs a couple of miles down the highway from our place, and, using the "put them in water and see which float" method, those eggs were older than the generic eggs from a market an hour away, and older than the free range eggs I'd bought almost two weeks earlier at Whole Foods in MSP. When I need fresh chives, the local market didn't have them, but the woman who owned the place said she'd bring in some from her garden for me. Tue Jul 28 16:33:53 -0700 2009 4898152 10985 MMRuth 3 4898559 If you should happen to be in Madison on a Saturday morning, they have a wonderful farmers market around the Capitol square. There's also an excellent cheese shop on the square called Fromagination (http://fromagination.com/). If you have a chance, try the local cheese Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a delicious cheese with much flavor than you might expect from its bland name. My Whole Foods out here in CA carries it sometimes (and Fromagination does as well). But that's about the limit of my Madison knowledge, and I suspect the above info isn't very useful to you anyhow. There's undoubtedly great groceries available in Madison somewhere, but I understand how shopping places that you know can be so much faster, more efficient, and cheaper. Tue Jul 28 17:42:22 -0700 2009 4898152 19542 Karen_Schaffer 4 4899443 Thanks - we are driving up on a Saturday - and did stop at Madison last year at the Whole Foods, but it takes a good hour or so on top of a seven or so hour drive after our flight, so I'm hoping to avoid that. Appreciate the tips though. And, now that I think about, I do think I bought some excellent Wisconsin cheeses from the WF there. Wed Jul 29 05:41:56 -0700 2009 4898559 10985 MMRuth 5 4899467 Just curious, do you prefer to buy from only WF? What about other big grocery stores? Wed Jul 29 05:51:37 -0700 2009 4899443 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 4899648 Well, when I'm in a rush like this, I can be pretty sure that WF will have everything I need, in an area that I'm not to familiar with. In NYC, I only buy certain things from them every month or so. The objective is basically to do almost all the grocery shopping for nine days of cooking (I have the menus all planned out, grocery list written, etc.) as fast as possible. The lay out at WF stores tends to be similar as well. All of that said, there are things like Italian prosciutto that I have not found in the MN/WI Whole Foods (and when we've bought a U.S. version, the slicing of it is, well, unfortunate, shall we say), and so I'd rather just bring those items with me from here, where I know the quality and the prices tend to actually be better. I have found that often the cost of imported/"gourmet" type ingredients is higher in other cities. This way, I'll bring all my speciality stuff with me, and then do the rest of the shopping at a market about an hour or so away from where we stay. Edit - this is where we go: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/430683 Wed Jul 29 06:52:27 -0700 2009 4899467 10985 MMRuth 7 4899937 Wow! All sounds great - except the farm fresh eggs. Have a great vacation! Wed Jul 29 08:24:01 -0700 2009 4899648 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 4897987 Sounds like a plan. I always have lots of food packed in my suitcase for my DC - Miami - Cali, Colombia flights. I used to use those heavy duty plastic bins and duct tape. Perfect but not allowed anymore. Tue Jul 28 14:14:00 -0700 2009 4897714 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 4898311 Shocking! Is it the food, or the cooler? I usually bring a 40 quart cooler to Mexico for part of the winter, with non-perishables and clothing, like a hard-walled suitcase, and then I use it as a cooler in Mexico. Have rules changed recently, and if so, anyone know why, and whether any change affects both international and domestic flights? It always used to be that if the sum of the 3 dimensions of an item was below a certain total, which I can't remember, it could qualify as checkable luggage. I can understand the restriction of dry ice, but a quality cooler with ice Zip-Locks or gel packs is good for few days. I mentioned on a post a couple years ago I pack a partial roll of duct tape and a note to TSA on top, asking them to reseal the cooler with my tape if they open my cooler to inspect it. The mylar TSA tape is actually pretty strong, but I know that sometimes they don't have any around. To MM's other question, I'm not aware of any restrictions on transporting any type of food item on domestic flights, this seems to be about qualifying checked luggage. Tue Jul 28 16:03:58 -0700 2009 4897987 57170 Veggo 3 4898392 I used to use those blue rectangular RubberMaid "Rooughneck" bins. Fill em up, put on the lid, and tape ém up. I understand that they're no longer allowed - but maybe I'm wrong. I'l check on this trip (back to DC on Sunday). Cooler boxes are allowed. Tue Jul 28 16:31:36 -0700 2009 4898311 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4898467 I used those Rubbermaid chests when I lived in Mexico City- they are very large, and really not that strong. I had one that had a corner crushed along the way and I lost a set of plates from Tlalpan. For MMRuth's purposes, I think the very rigid 40 quart Coleman coolers are good to go and would be perfect for her needs. Her airline should be able to confirm in advance that they are acceptable. They are stronger that many suitcases and have useful interior volume dimensions and good thermal insulation. Tue Jul 28 17:02:20 -0700 2009 4898392 57170 Veggo 5 4898490 Thanks - I'll check w/ American and look into the Coleman coolers. Tue Jul 28 17:15:16 -0700 2009 4898467 10985 MMRuth 6 4898587 One more plug for the Coleman coolers- when stone crabs are in season here in Florida and I buy a 3-4 day supply off the boats, I keep them on ice in the Coleman in the kitchen, not in the fridge, because they stay colder. There is some melt to drain each day, but we are nice to our stone crabs. Coleman used to make a steel- walled cooler with a drain plug, which was nirvana. I wore mine out, if that is possible. Tue Jul 28 17:51:34 -0700 2009 4898490 57170 Veggo 5 4898577 The moulded RM chests are as strong as the Colemans - rounded, semi-rigid with just enough flex, and difficult to break or crack. Tue Jul 28 17:48:21 -0700 2009 4898467 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 4898511 In terms of the types of food - I wasn't worried about the airline/TSA, but rather which items might not do too well on the trip. Of course, I am assuming the risk that our flight is delayed for hours etc., but at that point, I'll be more worried about the dog freaking out than I will be about the loss of the food. Tue Jul 28 17:21:23 -0700 2009 4898311 10985 MMRuth 1 4898203 I was just checking luggage restrictions for a friend who was traveling on American this morning and noted that there are not only restrictions on the amount of dry ice you may either check or carry on, but that there is what I thought a rather steep fee ($40) to do so. Don't know if this only applies to AA, but certainly worth looking into. Here's the link to the AA site: http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/baggage/restrictedArticles.jsp&anchorEvent=false Tue Jul 28 15:28:22 -0700 2009 4897714 11407 JoanN 1 4898332 I would order from good online sources (e.g., igourmet) and request delivery on the day after your arrival in Wisconsin. You can find whatever your heart desires on the Web, and it will be packaged appropriately and delivered when you wish. Tue Jul 28 16:10:54 -0700 2009 4897714 11995 pikawicca 1 4898376 I have shipped frozen fish from Baja California to LA using ice chests. Use duct tape to seal and button down the ice chests. The fish stayed frozen for the entire 6-8 hour trip which is done in August. Pack the chest as tightly as you can. No glass containers. Ice chest should have wheels unless its very small . Use artificial ice. If possible, cool down the ice chest before use. Bring it in the house the night before. Tue Jul 28 16:25:52 -0700 2009 4897714 251532 bgazindad 1 4898474 check with the airlines re: their rules. we just packed up a case of peaches to comply with Southwest's rules. no problems. Tue Jul 28 17:05:19 -0700 2009 4897714 147113 ola 2 4898580 What kind of case? What are the rules? Tue Jul 28 17:49:01 -0700 2009 4898474 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 4899059 We used a wooden crate and hand-wrapped each peach in newspaper. We chose peaches that were slightly under-ripe. It was only a three hour flight but they all made it without a single bruise and were ready for eating after a day or two. Tue Jul 28 21:05:20 -0700 2009 4898580 147113 ola 1 4899025 There's not one thing that I can think of that would be a problem with your plan. I'd check with your vendors regarding optimal temps and package accordingly. Have a great time. x,c Tue Jul 28 20:49:09 -0700 2009 4897714 131001 c oliver 1 4899746 Dont bother with dry ice. I've brought very perishable cheeses from Boston to Oregon in the summertime (with layovers) and everything has been fine. Here is what I did: To help with the luggage fee, I got an inflatable insulated airliner bag (you can get this at any shipping store). I then packed it with ice packs (be sure to wrap the ice pack in saran wrap and then newspaper to absorb any water... you don't want wet food!) and added the cheese. Seal it closed (it has a seal) and then tape it closed to make sure everything is secure. It then fit into my huge suitcase (it took up about 1/2 the suitcase) with all of my clothes, etc saving me a pretty penny on extra luggage. Wed Jul 29 07:24:44 -0700 2009 4897714 36361 thunderbug84 2 4899840 It depends on the airline but we traveled on American recently and an extra bag was only $25, for me a small price to pay to have all my precious NYC food goodies. I brought back a small container of duck fat and specifically asked the guy at Dean & Deluca about all that time unrefrigerated and he said no problem. Have a great time, MMR. Wed Jul 29 07:54:28 -0700 2009 4899746 131001 c oliver 3 4900647 Thanks for all the tips - we're fortunate not to have to pay for checked-in luggage as my husband travels on American so much. Wed Jul 29 11:10:36 -0700 2009 4899840 10985 MMRuth 4 4900661 Ah, yes, I remember those days well; back when Bob was globetrotting :) Wed Jul 29 11:13:51 -0700 2009 4900647 131001 c oliver 1 4901074 In Dec I hand carried an insulated cooler filled with blue ice and my sister-in-law's homemade momos home from Dallas, but I recently read that blue ice is not allowed anymore in carry-ons. I've also packed soft insulated coolers filled with food and blue ice for business trips in my luggage many many times and never had a problem. It's generally fairly cold in the luggage holds of airplanes.... Wed Jul 29 13:05:09 -0700 2009 4897714 18072 Niki in Dayton 1 4901212 This came from the American Airlines website as it addressed the shipment of animals. I think they're assuming LIVE animals which might need a smidge more care than your items :) But you do have the issues of what the temps are going to be out on the tarmac at the airports. "Aircraft Travel Compartment Information Animals are transported in the same compartments as baggage, mail and other cargo. These compartments are pressurized and maintain a temperature range from 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. " Wed Jul 29 13:45:30 -0700 2009 4897714 131001 c oliver 1 4902755 I am sure you have already thought of this since you seem to have this well thought out, but I think a good chefs knife is a good thing to pack since you never know what kind of knives there will be where you are. Have a fun trip! Thu Jul 30 06:38:00 -0700 2009 4897714 158016 cassoulady