I need to travel almost 6 hours with shrimp chowder. Help!

I stupidly decided to make shrimp chowder without thinking about the fact that we have to travel 5-6 hours with it tomorrow. If I use a cooler and lots of ice and keep it in the trunk, do you think it will be safe for consumption? Or should I toss out the idea altogether?

Kylie Thompson
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4 Comments

caninechef December 23, 2016
I have brought this recipe (https://food52.com/recipes/30450-blushing-new-england-fish-chowder) multiple times to a group lunch but made with Shrimp at the request of the hostess. I complete steps 1 and 2 at home and then transport the chilled base, made night before, in a 2 quart canning jar with rubber ring. On site it takes 10-15 minutes to reheat the base,add the shrimp and finish off with 1/2 and 1/2. This has worked well as the volume of the partially completed soup fits in the canning jar for maximum security and then the fresh ingredients get added at last minute. Everything starts out cold and while my trip is short I think you can arrange adequate cooling for your trip.
 
Valhalla December 23, 2016
Last time I traveled with food in a cooler, I used a small fridge thermometer so I would feel confident my food stayed under 40 degrees. It gives peace of mind! With the cooler packed with cold food and ice, it maintained the temp for a drive of similar duration.
 
Nancy December 23, 2016
Alternate scenario: buy ingredients at location where you will be having Christmas.
[If stores will be closed before you arrive, ask a friendly local elf to shop for you.]
Then make the chowder, safe to eat and nothing shloshing around in your car.
 
drbabs December 22, 2016
For it to be totally safe, you need to cook it, let it cool and refrigerate it to less than 40 degrees, and then keep it at that temperature or lower while you travel. Do you have a cooler that can maintain that temperature?
 
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