Dry ice might not be the most famous form of ice. It, however, comes with certain benefits that regular ice does not possess when used in a cooler. Although there are certain benefits associated with using dry ice, you should know the right way to use dry ice if you want to enjoy these benefits. In addition to enjoying the benefits associated with the use of dry ice, if you do not make use of dry ice rightly, you could damage your cooler.

Nowadays, it is easy to come across coolers that are compatible with dry ice. Nonetheless, these coolers do not come with any instruction on how to use dry ice. Of you are interested in using dry ice in a cooler, you are on the right page. Read on to find out how to use dry ice in a cooler.

In its simplest form, dry ice is frozen CO2. To make it, you simply need to lower the temperature of pressurized carbon dioxide in its liquid state. Once the temperature of pressurized carbon dioxide is lowered, it gets frozen into blocks.

Now that you know what dry ice is, it is time to know how exactly to use it. There are various methods to employ when making use of dry ice. These methods are all very effective. They, however, come with cons and pros.

This is perhaps the most common way to use dry ice in your cooler. All you need to do is place the dry ice in your cooler's bottom. Once you do this, put your drinks and food over it. This method of using dry ice in a cooler is the most ideal if you will need access to your drinks and foods throughout the day.

In addition to helping you have access to your drinks and foods easily, it is safer to keep dry ice at the bottom of your cooler because you might suffer a burn if you touch it says TheCoolerTalks.com. That's not all. This method ensures that certain items get frozen while others simply stay refrigerated. The items that have direct contact with dry ice will freeze while those without direct access will simply be refrigerated.

When making use of this method, to keep your cooler from getting damaged, place cardboard or a Styrofoam at the sides and bottom of your cooler. Furthermore, you should put cardboard over the dry ice. This time, however, there should be a hole in the cardboard. This way cold can go through without your drink or food container having direct contact with dry ice. Finally, you should protect yourself with gloves and glass as you might experience a burn if your skin comes in contact with dry ice.

This is not a very popular way to use dry ice. It, however, is great for dealing with game meat. When used in freezing game meat, the spread of harmful bacteria can be kept in check.

When looking to freeze meat with dry ice, you will need to go hunting with the dry ice in the cooler. As soon as you are done cutting and bagging your meat, place it in the cooler and put the dry ice over it. Once this is done, your meat will begin freezing with the conversion of dry ice to gas through sublimation. Although this method of using dry ice in a cooler is the most effective, it is not practical when on a trip or when you go camping.

When using dry ice in your cooler through this method, ensure you put a cardboard or Styrofoam over every part of the cooler that will come in contact with dry ice. This way you can keep the cooler from being damaged by dry ice. If you make use of small dry ice pellets, items will get cold faster. Nonetheless, they will not last so long. Finally, protect yourself with glasses and gloves as dry ice can cause burns.

In addition to knowing how to use dry ice in your cooler, it is vital that you know how to make dry ice last for a fairly long time. If you are looking to keep dry ice in your cooler for a long time, these tips can help you do so.

Larger Block Last Longer: As compared to smaller blocks, it takes large dry ice blocks a long time to go through sublimation. This means they will last longer than small blocks.

Get Dry Ice Wrapped in Newspaper: When wrapped in newspaper, dry ice is insulated. Insulated dry ice evaporates very slowly and, therefore, lasts longer. In addition to helping dry ice last longer, newspaper also makes it relatively safe.

Only Open Cooler if it is Essential: You might be tempted to always open on your cooler. Nonetheless, this is one way to keep your dry ice from lasting long.  Each time you open your cooler, cool air escapes while warm air gets into the cooler. This warm air makes ice melt faster

Using dry ice in your cooler is great. It, however, is associated with certain challenges. Some of these challenges are;

Access is Difficult: Dry ice is not as readily accessible as other types of ice. Although dry ice is not so difficult to get, other types of ice are more readily available. Furthermore, making dry ice is not so easy. It cannot be made by just anyone. It is a job for professionals.

Price: Dry ice does not last as long as regular ice. It, however, is more expensive than regular ice.

It is bad for Plastic: Dry ice is not very good for your plastic cooler. It is very cold and could affect the structure of the plastic. This could make your plastic break very easily.