Food organizer insert for portable ice chest

摘要

A food organizing and protecting insert provides a horizontal shelf with food receptacle receiving apertures which mounts in a portable ice chest. The shelf occludes the upper region of the inner liner of the chest forming a closed chamber to hold ice when the chest lid is open. The food receptacles are held by their upper rims in the apertures so that the body of each receptacle is within the cooled chamber. One or more hinged transparent covers, when closed, cover the receptacles, leaving a space above the receptacle for clearance of a serving utensil while permitting viewing of the contents of the receptacles. Downwardly extending support members hold the shelf fixed position parallel to the bottom of the chest. A closable hatch in the shelf may optionally be provided and the shelf may be transparent to permit selection and retrieval of items such as beverage containers stored with the ice chamber. The insert converts an ice chest into a sanitary and convenient food storage and dispensing device for picnics, street vendors and restaurants.