Put in air-conditioned passenger section, not in trunk. At camp site, insulate cooler with a blanket or tarp and keep it in shade. Keep lid closed and avoid repeated openings. Replenish ice if it melts. Once gel packs and their cold sources melt and cannot be replaced, perishables are not safe---discard them. When Fishing: With finfish, scale, gut and clean fish as soon as they're caught. Live fish can be kept on stringers or in live wells, as long as they have enough water and enough room to move and breathe.

Wrap fish, both whole and cleaned, in water-tight plastic and store on ice. Keep 3 to 4 inches of ice on bottom of cooler. Alternate layers of fish and ice. Store cooler out of sun and cover with a blanket. Once home, eat fresh fish within 1 to 2 days or freeze them. For top quality, use frozen fish within 3 to 6 months.

Crabs, lobsters and other shellfish must be kept alive until cooked. Store in live wells or out of water in a bushel or laundry basket under wet burlap or seaweed.

Crabs and lobsters are best eaten day they're caught. Live oysters should be cooked within 7 to 10 days.

Live mussels and clams should be cooked within 4 to 5 days. Eating raw shellfish is extremely dangerous. People with liver disorders or weakened immune systems are expecially at risk.

Cleanup on boat is similar to cleanup in wild. Bring disposable wipes for handwashing, and bag all your trash to dispose of when you return to shore.

Vacation Home or RV: If a vacation home or a recreational vehicle has not been used for a while, check leftover canned food from last year. The Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends that canned foods that may have been exposed to freezing and thawing temperatures over winter be discarded. Also, check refrigerator. If unplugged from last year, thoroughly clean it before using. Make sure all food preparation areas in vacation home or in recreational vehicle are thoroughly cleaned.

It's perfectly safe to store uncooked patties as well as raw steaks, ribs, chops and raw poultry in refrigerator for a day or so until ready to pack cooler. If marinating meat and poultry, store in refrigerator---not on counter. If you plan to use some of marinade as a sauce, reserve a portion before putting raw meat in it. Don't reuse marinade, throw it out!

Perishables must be kept cold or cooked and chilled. Food should not be out of refrigerator or oven longer than 2 hours. If cooking foods beforehand---such as turkey, ham, chicken, and vegetable or pasta salads---prepare them in plenty of time to thoroughly chill in refrigerator. Divide large amounts of food into small containers for fast chilling and easier use. Keep cooked foods refrigerated until time to leave home.

Purchasing Take-Out Foods: If you're planning on purchasing take-out foods such as fried chicken or barbecued beef, eat them within two hours of pickup. Otherwise, buy ahead of time to chill before packing them into cooler.

Serving Food: Except when served, food should be stored in a cooler. As refrigerator at home when power is off, more times you open a cooler, more cold air will escape. Once ice melts, cooler won't be able to keep food safe. Keep cold drinks in a separate cooler to avoid constantly opening one containing perishable foods.

If you've packed cooked foods in several small containers, you can serve one and keep others cold for second helpings. Leave raw meat in cooler, too. When cooking it, remove from cooler only amount that will fit on grill.

Grilling Safety for Safety and Quality: The coals should be very hot before cooking food. For optimal heat, burn them 20 to 30 minutes or until they are lightly coated with ash. The USDA recommends against eating raw or undercooked ground beef since harmful bacteria could be present. To be sure bacteria are destroyed, cook hamburgers to 160 F on a meat thermometer. Large cuts of beef such as roasts may be cooked to 145 F for medium rare or to 160 F for medium. Cook ground poultry to 165 F and poultry parts to 180 F. Reheat pre-cooked meats until steaming hot. When taking foods off grill, don't put cooked items on same platter which held raw meat. Raw meat juices can contain bacteria that could cross-contaminate safely cooked foods. Do not partially grill extra hamburgers to use later. Once you begin cooking hamburgers by any method, cook them until completely done to assure that bacteria are destroyed.

Keeping Leftovers Safe: Place leftover foods in cooler promptly after grilling or serving. Any left outside for more than an hour should be discarded. For return trip, cooler should again travel in air-conditioned part of car. If you were gone not more than 4 or 5 hours and your perishables were kept on ice except when cooked and served, you should be able to use leftovers. Check cooler when you get home. If there is still ice in cooler and food is "refrigerator cool" to touch, leftovers should be safe to eat.

Remember: cook it, peel it, or leave it---and don't drink water!

By Margot B/Writer & Web Developer Margot B has written hundreds of articles, one book, with a book in progress. mailto:margotb@wonderport.com http://www.writers.Org-HQ.com