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When cookout season arrives, one of the most fun barbecue activities (apart from chowing down) is swimming. It’s time to bust out the pool — but not necessarily to take a dip. For a playful, DIY cooler that’ll last all summer long, just fill an inflatable kiddie pool with ice. That wide open display can be used for chilling canned drinks or larger bowls of food that need to be kept cold. Your go-to barbecue sides, from pasta salad to sliced watermelon, raw veggies, and dip, will last longer and taste even better on ice. Forty degrees Fahrenheit or lower is also the sweet spot for food safety, and an ice-filled inflatable kiddie pool will help you get there. We even recommend this strategy for wintertime parties, indoors, using your bathtub.
This hosting hack is a breeze if you happen to have kiddos, and there’s already an inflatable pool sitting in your backyard. Hose it off and fill it up with ice right before party time. Or, you could task a few guests with bringing bags of ice as their “dishes to share.” They’ll be thankful not to have to spend extra time in the kitchen on a nice summer day, and a bag of ice from the gas station is cheaper than a tub of potato salad from the deli. Need help deciding which drinks to stash in the kiddie pool cooler? Geoffrey Zakarian recently told Tasting Table his favorite beers to serve at summer BBQs.
Fill an inflatable kiddie pool with ice for a playful DIY cooler
We’ve already rounded up 21 Kirkland Signature items to stock up on for summer cookouts – and “inflatable kiddie pool” didn’t make the list. But, if you’re already on a Costco run stocking up for a barbecue, the warehouse grocery chain also happens to sell a 10-foot inflatable pool for $39.97 (price based on a warehouse location in Queens, NY). We love a one-stop trip. Still, admittedly, 10 feet is definitely bigger than what’s necessary here (that’s a lot of ice). This 48″ x 12″ inflatable kiddie pool from the Big Summer Store is the ideal size for a makeshift drink cooler, and it costs just $21.97.
The wonder of the inflatable kiddie pool cooler also includes easy storage. Simply deflate the pool, neatly fold it, and tuck it away in your basement, garage, or tool shed until next year’s barbecue season. Alternatively, if you don’t have an inflatable kiddie pool, but know someone who does, just ask ’em to roll up to the barbecue with it. That bad boy can be deflated for easy portability in the back of their car, or even in a tote bag slung over their shoulder (hooray for community! Hooray for minimizing unnecessary consumerism!). Got a home garden? At the end of the party, you can use all that melted ice to water your flowers and produce. Just let the water warm up a tad, so as not to shock your plants.
