I’m sure I’m not the first to tell you that the world is in the palm of your hand.
Literally.
In this digital age, we can instantly reject potential suitors with a swipe, accidentally double-tap our crush’s three-year-old pictures, and order some comfort food, after this horrifying sequence of events, to ease the pain of our abysmal love lives with just a few clicks!
Hey. Loosen up and laugh a little.
I’ll say it if no one else will; we, as a society, have lost the ability to wait.
As the saying goes, all good things come to those with Amazon Prime.
Everyone and everything are constantly on the move, as we all try to claim our spot in the rat race. Sorry. New York, but you’re not the only city that never sleeps anymore.
In the wise, contemplative words of that guy who sings the Full House theme song: whatever happened to predictability; The Milkman, the Paper Boy, and evening TV series that released episodes weekly?
It’s 2024 and we live in the land of instant gratification and corny, nostalgia-grabbing TV show references. One of the greatest things to come out of our 21st-century I-need-it-now craze is the accessibility of cross-country, on-demand food shipping.
We have pushed the boundaries of technology and scientific innovation to find new ways to eat.
How American.
Pizza, chocolates, bread, barbequed meat, those rainbow bagels that no one talks about anymore, and, of course, Grandma’s Cheesecake Sandwiches.
Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
So, how do you ship thousands of tons of perishable food without it rotting before it reaches its destination?
Simple. Dry ice.
As much as one may be led to assume by its name, dry ice is not, in fact, ice.
Dry ice is more formally known as CO2, carbon dioxide, or, more simply, the air we exhale.
In 1835, some French guy – a chemist – named Charles Thilorier, was screwing around with some pressurized carbon dioxide. He put some liquid CO2 in a box and found it produced two things.
- A lot of gas
- What appeared to be a block of ice
Thankfully, Thilorier was not born with the same instincts as me, because he did not touch the newly discovered substance. Good for him.
No, really.
When handling it is strongly advised you wear insulated gloves. Dry ice is -100°F and deals burns that are worse than the third-degree; it’s so cold it burns the skin off your hands.
Let’s just say, it’s super handy for keeping your perishables cold!
In addition to the killer cold temperatures, dry ice shrinks as it heats, releasing CO2 gas.
Both qualities make dry ice an excellent cooling agent in the transportation of temperature-sensitive foods.
Dry ice remains extremely cold and keeps packages, as the name implies, dry.
Only one problem.
Solution: wrap it in newspaper. The chemicals in newspaper preserve the dry ice, keeping it from shrinking as fast. Newspaper also makes dry ice safe to handle when packing orders.
To further insulate the refrigerated package you can use green Styrofoam, like we do at Grandma’s Cheesecake Sandwiches. It’s just like regular Styrofoam but it dissolves in water.
You can also use an insulated box to further ensure temperature regulation.
This extra packaging protects packages from warmer outdoor temperatures and delays in transportation, potentially saving products from being wasted.
Normally, if you ship with UPS and FedEx, they can guarantee overnight delivery (unlike normal postal service). However, it’s always good to be prepared.
So, how do you get dry ice?
There are many vendors, across the country, that you can acquire your dry ice.
Pick your poison.
Dry ice is typically sold in 50-pound blocks. That’s a lot of ice!
Good luck with that.
Tough as that may be, the FAA has its reasons though. CO2 is not only a gas but an explosive gas, which makes it a danger in large quantities.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter much if your package remains cold if it explodes.
Next time you order food from across the country, try to appreciate the effort it takes to get your food in one, ice-cold piece!
Try Grandma’s Cheesecake Sandwiches on Goldbelly.com where we ship nationwide – yes, with dry ice – and 12-40 Clintonville Street in Queens!
