Flying with Frozen Food

[MamaCrush]

We're heading down next Saturday, staying at Bay Lake Tower. One night we plan to eat in. Just to make it easy on myself, I was thinking of maybe freezing a family favorite casserole and freezing it solid, then double wrapping it, etc. and packing it in my designated "food suitcase". We're flying into Orlando from Charlotte, NC, so it's not a long flight and our flight arrives at 9:30 am. I have a commercial grade stand alone freezer which will freeze anything into a brick like state. I'm not so much concerned about food safety as I am about the airlines/TSA not being too pleased. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

 

[bltpoppins]

Hi there,
I do it all the time! In fact, just last week, I had frozen pasta sauce, uncooked steaks, and cooked chicken that I brought from Chicago. I freeze it in my freezer and, before leaving the house, place it in a soft sided cooler with a couple of the ice packs. The cooler goes into a suitcase I am checking. My only problem has been making sure I don't go overweight in the suitcase. The items are always still frozen by the time ME gets the luggage to our room.

The soft sided cooler then gets used for beverages to keep cool while at the pool!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[disneymomjcs]

After reading the below info. I would take the casserole brick and store it in an liquid and airtight container and put it in your luggage. I have brought lots of food with on our trips all dry good, crackers etc in an airtight container I don't think I can mention the name (although it has a lifetime warranty) to protect it from getting crushed.

From the TSA website:
Traveling with Food or Gifts

How to Pack Food and Gift Items

When it comes to bringing items through checkpoints, we've seen just about everything. Traveling with food or gifts is an even bigger challenge. Everyone has favorite foods from home that they want to bring to holiday dinners, or items from their destination that they want to bring back home.

Not sure about what you can and can't bring through the checkpoint? Here's a list of liquid, aerosol and gel items that you should put in your checked bag, ship ahead, or leave at home if they are above the permitted 3.4 oz.
Cranberry sauce
Cologne
Creamy dips and spreads
(cheeses, peanut butter, etc.)
Gift baskets with food items
(salsa, jams and salad dressings)
Gravy
Jams
Jellies
Lotions
Maple syrup
Oils and vinegars
Perfume
Salad dressing
Salsa
Sauces
Snowglobes
Soups
Wine, liquor and beer


Note: You can bring pies and cakes through the security checkpoint, but please be advised that they are subject to additional screening.

Remember! – While wrapped gifts are not prohibited, if a bag alarms our security officers may have to unwrap a gift to take a closer look inside. We recommend passengers wrap gifts after their flight or ship them ahead of time, to avoid the possibility of having to open them during the screening process.

 

[carlbarry]

For religious dietary reasons, I always bring frozen food and non-frozen food (bread, snacks, etc.) in my checked bag. I have never had a problem.

 

[MamaCrush]

Thanks everyone for the great input. I too have brought dry goods in the past, but wanted to make sure my "brick" would pass inspection these days!

On a related note, I always take my quarters and pennies in an M&M tube for the kids to use for pressed pennies. I always pack them in my checked bag and I ALWAYS get a note that TSA has been inside my bag. I'm sure it looks suspiciously like ammunition when it goes through x-ray!

 

[FRANKTSJR]

We bring beer, groceries and frozen Omaha steaks in our checked bags. Never a problem.

 

[MamaCrush]

Lovin' the steak idea... put my DH to work!

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

If your room isn't ready upon your arrival, the BLT bell desk has commercial grade freezers and refrigerators free for use.

 

[MamaCrush]

If your room isn't ready upon your arrival, the BLT bell desk has commercial grade freezers and refrigerators free for use.

Thank you! Good point-- especially since I'm also ordering perishables to be delivered from Garden Grocer.

 

[FRANKTSJR]

We usually use DME so can't go grocery shopping. We pack whatever we can and I pickup a bag of matchlight charcoal from one of the Hess Stations. Most DVC Resorts have charcoal grills near the quiet pools.

 

[Disney_Mama]

My DH just brought home sauerkraut for me when he stopped in to see my folks while on a business trip. Had it frozen and in double zip lock bag.

 

[crisi]

Remember that airlines now stick carefully to the weight limit for luggage and will charge you for an overage. So make sure that frozen brick of casserole doesn't put your suitcase over the edge. It will be heavy.

 

[rigsby25]

Hi there,
The soft sided cooler then gets used for beverages to keep cool while at the pool!

We also use ours to get ice.

 

[MamaCrush]

Remember that airlines now stick carefully to the weight limit for luggage and will charge you for an overage. So make sure that frozen brick of casserole doesn't put your suitcase over the edge. It will be heavy.

Thanks for the reminder. Doesn't "brick of a casserole" sound appetizing>> But there really is no better way to describe it!

 

[Saratoga Springs Tom]

You will not be able to bring a liquid over 3.4 oz or 100 ml through the TSA checkpoint in a carry on bag.

You can pack the casserole into your checked bag.

 

[snackyx]

You can pack the casserole into your checked bag.

Just when you think you've seen it all...

 

[CarolAnnC]

We have done this before with our favorite Chicago hot dogs and they stayed frozen just fine. Next trip is to a Treehouse Villa and we will be doing the frozen food in the checked bag thing again so we can barbeque there. Yum!

 

[skylynx]

We took a small defrosting turkey in our carry on luggage (there was a reason for this, honest). We'd asked the TSA first on a prior trip to the airport, and they said the turkey was ok. In fact, it got a big chuckle going through the xray machine.

We had gravy waiting at our destination.

 

[Badamon]

After reading everyone's posts I'm going for it! Packing casseroles, chili, mac and cheese and freezing using a "Seal a Meal" type food storage system (borrowing from a friend). Freezing to a fare-thee-well, placing in a soft side cooler or two then in my rolling duffle. Will cross my fingers, too, just for good measure. In the past we've rented houses off property and I've always packed some dry goods, but never cold/frozen foods. We're traveling with 3 young teenagers (15, 13, 12), staying at FW for the first time and renting an RV.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

It's all fun and games until the airlines lose your luggage and you don't get your bag for days (or weeks). Not saying it's happened to me or anything... (but it did happen to my wife, with her mother's frozen cabbage rolls - five days later when the bag arrived, ugh - goodbye all the clothes that were packed in the same suitcase).