Meat ain’t cheap, even the so-called “budget” cuts are beaucoup bucks.  So when you buy meat, whether from your butcher or the local supermarket, you’ve got to make sure that that freshness travels well, all the way to your fridge (or freezer).  Yeah, yeah, you threw the bag of frozen French fries on top of the meat and that should be good enough, right?  Maybe.  Or maybe not.

When the weather outside gets hotter, your fresh and frozen food will spoil that much quicker.  Before you even start out for your food shopping, throw a cooler in the back of the car with some frozen blocks of ice (refilled empty soda bottles work great) and then toss your meat, fish, frozen food and the stuff that needs quick refrigeration - like the “homemade” potato salad you just bought - into the cooler.

If you don’t have a cooler, consider the thermal bags that you can buy near the frozen food section, and keep your perishables inside with an ice block or something else cold.  According to the manufacturer, foods will keep cold for up to 4 hours.

The newest way to keep things cold is to wrap them in space-age technology.  On the market are several products that can keep your perishables safe and they are activated simply by running cold water over them.  You don’t have to worry about melting, and they last for days, as opposed to hours.

One thing is for certain, in the summer you need to get your meat and other “needs refrigeration” items on ice as soon as possible.  If and when you open them, if you have even the slightest doubt as to whether or not they might have “turned,” toss it.  Remember the FDA mantra, “When in doubt, throw it out.”