Traveling With Salt & Straw Pints (It's Not As Tough As You'd Think!)
Whether you're road-tripping for a couple hours or flying across the country, you can pack up your Salt & Straw pints to bring to friends and family. You're going to need two things—a cooler and dry ice—and follow our best tips.
1. Regular ice is not the same as dry ice.
Regular ice is made from freezing water, whereas dry ice is made by compressing CO2 (carbon dioxide gas) using very high pressures. And here's the catch: Regular ice will actually make your ice cream melt. Ice stays frozen at 32º or colder, but because cream has sugar, it stays frozen at 5º. As the ice begins melting, the water starts heating up the ice cream.
2. Find a cooler about the size of your pints.
Ultimately you're looking for a limited amount of space. If the cooler is too big, stuff it with crumpled newspaper as an insulator. We prefer a plastic cooler, but styrofoam ones also work. (Grocery stores typically have them on top of the freezer.)
3. Time the purchase of your dry ice.
Dry ice starts disappearing as it dissipates, so you don't want to buy it too early. It's sold in five- or 10-pound blocks. One five-pound block typically lasts for 24 hours, a 10-pound block lasts for 48. If you pack your cooler with 10 pounds the night before you fly, by the time you go to the airport the next day, it'll weigh five pounds (after it dissipates overnight).
4. Your ice cream should be frozen solid.
Don't temper your ice cream in advance. Make sure it's coming straight from your freezer when you pack it.
5. Always pack your ice on top of your pints.
Heat rises; cooling descends. Dry ice will make whatever it's next to frozen solid. When you're stowing your cooler, make sure to position it so the dry ice stays on top of your pints.
If you're flying...
You can fly with dry ice. Every passenger is allowed five pounds, whether carry-on or checked (confirm with your specific airline first), though 99 percent of TSA agents don't know that. Getting through security is surprisingly easy, but they'll be suspicious; cite the five-pound rule. If you're going to check it, tell your attendant it's Salt & Straw and they'll probably give you a hug. When handling dry ice, make sure to use gloves.
If you're road-tripping...
You don't have a legal limit to how much dry ice you pack, but you now have CO2 dissipating in a car, which can be dangerous if you don't crack your windows. Unroll your back windows about an inch. If you're parking a long period of time, put the dry ice on the roof.
