Food in checked luggage?
 

This is a bit of an odd question but -

Would I have any problems putting a bag of hashbrowns in my checked luggage?
I mean problems with security, not with the actual bag. It's just literally frozen hash browns bought from a grocery store. Brief domestic flight (about 4 hours). Obviously, they would be unfrozen in a couple hours, but I don't see any problem with that.

yes, you can pack food in your checked bag. The question is, why?

TSA does not care, but it would be more than completely unfrozen, they would be possibly unsafe. Because a 4 hour flight is likely twice that much door to door.

You could pack it on ice like people do when they take frozen meat or fish. Seems kind of soggy just putting it in your suitcase!

Just as a point of curiosity - where in the world are you going that hash brown potatoes are unavailable?

(And I agree - with a 4 hour flight, plus security and coming/going time I would think it likely they would be unsafe to eat.)

Why would they be unsafe to eat?
We are talking about shredded potatoes here.
Where's the danger/concern about shredded potatoes thawing?

You could stick them in one of those bags meant to be taken to the grocery store that keep you food cold for 3 hours.

What kind (brand) of frozen hash browns are so good that you would go through this trouble?
How are they different from others?

I would only suggest that you put the bag of potatoes inside a ziplock bag because as the potatoes thaw, you are likely to get condensation on the outside of the bag and you don't want whatever is next to the potatoes in your suitcase to get wet.

It should be safe. The cargo section of the airplane is quite cool during flight. You only need to worry about keeping it out of the hot sun during the check-in & wait time. My suggestion is to wrap the packaging in foam wrapping--not bubble wrap, but the smooth flat ones that you see in the lining of padded envelopes, or wrap in several layers of newspaper. I've taken frozen sherbet (don't ask) without blue ice, packed in newspapers in a cardboard box and it was fine--slightly melted but we were able to put in the freezer after reaching our destination. Note: The sherbet was wrapped and stored in a sub-zero freezer prior to our flight.

I checked a frozen turkey in a duffle bag. It was still frozen solid when I got to my destination about 7 hours later.

Shredded potatoes and hash browns are completely different. I assume when the OP said hash browns they meant pre-cooked with onion, bacon, seasoning and whatever fat they had been cooked in.

Once prepared they simply can;t be left out for days at a time - but need either refrigeration or freezing. For the same reason you can;t leave salads with mayo or dressing out for 8 hours at a time - bacteria will multiply - well, like bacteria.

Sending a frozen turkey through is different than hash brown potatoes. A frozen turkey is very solid. A bag of hash browns are small solid pieces. They must be some GOOOOOOD hash browns to want to send them through! Can I have the recipe???

It's just potatoes. No bacon or onions. Canadian hashbrowns. Thanks for your ideas.

OK - inquiring minds want to know. How are Canadian hashbrowns different than regular run-of-the-mill hashbrowns???

Hi to "thePidge"- Are you there? You have gotten some of us quite curious as to why Canadian hashbrowns are. You said just potatoes, but there must be something that makes them different. What is it????

How about packing a bag of potatoes, and a grater. This way you have fresh hashbrowns instead of frozen ones.

Since it is a domestic flight, I am sure you could buy potatoes upon arrival. They are not just a Canadian product; we eat them here.

To have an authentic Canadian breakfast, you must have

Canadian bacon + Canadian hashbrown + Canadian eggs + Canadian orange juice + Canadian coffee.

Missing one, and it's just a regular breakfast.

;)

[Actually, I have no idea what Canadian hashbrown is.]

Grasshopper~ but a turkey is a LOT larger than a bag of frozen hash browns :-)

As others have mentioned, even if you don't mind it arriving defrosted completely, do pack it in a couple large ziplocks to avoid your clothes gettin' all wet.

We brought back frozen fish (my husband had caught) on a domestic flight in a carry on. Hubby went to local Kmart and bought a "freezer" bag. Fish was still frozen after 4 hrs. No problem/question with carrying it on...

Pidge is probably a foodie like many of us ...

ha ha ha