Cool Box Evolution
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Since the humble beginnings of the earliest cool box produced by Francis Malley in 1884, cooler boxes have evolved considerably. They now come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, often with specific functions. One thing that most of these have in common is that they are almost all insulated with CFC-free polyurethane foam. This is injected under pressure between the internal and external linings of the ice box. The use of high-compression injection means that all of the polyurethane foam gets into even the tiniest nook and cranny within the hollow casing, ensuring that insulation is uniform and complete.
A particularly interesting innovation is the use of thermoelectric coolers. These truly are cooler boxes that are the best friend of a motorist! These thermoelectric ice boxes hook up to the cigarette lighter in your car and run on your car 12 volt battery. The scientific concept of keeping food cold by using a current of electricity to draw warm air away from the food is known as the Peltier effect. According to the Peltier effect, if you were to reverse the current, you would be able to also keep food hot. That said they are usually used to keep food cool and not hot. There are drawbacks to these thermoelectric ice boxes. Firstly, the cooler boxes are rather smaller than most families would consider appropriate. Secondly, these ice boxes do tend to be a drain on your car’s battery.
The most appropriate size cool box for the average Australian family, who enjoys plenty of outdoor living and alfresco dining, is one with a 50 liter capacity. If, for any reason you don’t need to use all the space in your ice box you should fill the empty spaces in your cooler with small bottles of water that you have previously frozen. The reason for this is that cooler boxes work far more efficiently when they are kept full. Half empty cooler boxes have too much circulating air which will draw the much colder temperatures from the food to attempt to create an even overall temperature within the box. This has the effect of thawing any frozen food you might be storing in your ice box, and warming up any food that is colder than the ambient temperature within the ice box. So, to ensure your food stays as cold as you want it to, always keep your ice box full. In any event, it is best to have ice filling at least half of the box volume.
Certainly, cooler boxes have come a long ways since their more humble beginnings. Now the choices are so varied the average customer would have a hard time trying to decide the best ice box for their needs. This is where the combo cool box comes into its own. It is a product that consists of a 45 liter cooler box, along with a 5 quart “flip lid” cool box and also an insulated box with just a 1.15 liter capacity. All are insulated with CFC-free polyurethane foam. The 45 liter cooler box is 64cm long, 37cm in height and 34cm wide. As a starting set, this set of three is ideal, allowing you to use each size ice box and find out first-hand what the best size cool box is for you.