Cool tailgating: Tips for packing your ice chest for the big game

Football season has officially started and so, too, have fall tailgating parties. To get into the tailgating mood, we checked out fun football food suggestions from some favorite online sources. The Food Network has scores of ideas, including tips from Guy Fieri. His advice: planning ahead, bring enough utensils and provide lots of hand-held food goodies.

Tailgating season is the last hurrah for your cooler before it gets tucked away in the attic or basement until next summer. Don't have one yet? Check out updated cooler report for some top picks. No matter what type of cooler you have (be it a fancy wheeled cooler with telescoping handle or just a cheapy Styrofoam model), they all need to be packed properly if you want optimum performance out of them:

• Keep raw and cooked meats separate. According to Consumer Reports, raw and cooked meats need to be packed separately so that raw juices don't drip on and contaminate other foods.
• Use ice packs or block ice instead of cubes. They stay frozen longer according to experts.
• Line the side of the cooler with ice packs. Place them at the bottom and the top of the cooler and squeeze some on either side too, according to Choice.com.
• Choose the smallest cooler for the job. Packing it as full as possible will keep pockets of warm air from circulating inside.
• Pack perishables at the bottom. Cool air sinks, so put the things that need to stay coldest (meats and mayonnaise-based foods such as macaroni salad) at the bottom, says Boat Galley writer Carolyn Shearlock.
• Stash drinks on the top for easy access. So that you don't have to dig around for them and let all the cool air out in the process. Or, use a separate cooler just for drinks, suggests About.com's camping guru David Sweet. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
• Remember last in, first out. Items you are going to use first should be packed last. Anything that needs to be prepped immediately should also be packed on top.
• Keep things you'll use together packed together. If things go together, such as meats and sauces, then it's a good idea to pack them together; this prevents rummaging around too much and losing that valuable cold air inside your cooler.