Does Pre-Chilling Your Cooler Keep Drinks Cold Longer?

Whether it’s a tailgate or a day at the beach, a cooler is a must-have accessory. After all, no one wants a warm beer or a bottle of water that’s the same temperature as their morning shower. But is there a way to make your cooler even more effective?

A recent TikTok from content creator Anna Truth argues that you should be pre-chilling your cooler. Turns out, she’s right!

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The reason pre-chilling makes your cooler more effective comes down to insulation. Your cooler is designed to keep the interior cool, right? Well, unfortunately, it also does the same thing with heat.

If you store your cooler in a garage or shed that doesn’t have air conditioning, that heat gets trapped inside and stays there. Pour ice into a hot cooler, and it won’t last nearly as long, cutting short your time with ice-cold drinks.

But Truth’s suggestion isn’t anything new. Major cooler brands like Blue Cooler recommend pre-chilling your cooler before use. So how do you do it? You’ll need a little forethought.

You’ll need a bag or two of ice, depending on the size of your cooler. You’ll dump all that ice into the hot cooler and wait several hours before dumping the old ice and adding in a fresh batch alongside your food or drink. Blue Cooler also recommends pre-chilling your food and drinks to prevent heat from being reintroduced into the cooler.

If you’ve got a big event coming up, you might want to grab an extra bag of ice. If you pick up some beers and wine while you’re grabbing it but forget to chill them, this handy quick-cooling trick should help.