Insulated Bag Face-Off: A $3 Hot or Cold Bag vs. a $60 Williams Sonoma Carrier

Plus, if I get stuck on the train on my way there, I worry that the food I’m transporting will reach what the Department of Agriculture calls the “danger zone”: the temperature range between 40° F and 140° F where bacteria grow most rapidly. The USDA recommends never leaving food unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, and if the outside temperature is above 90° F, you shouldn’t leave food out for more than an hour.

Recently, I came across a $2.86 thermal reusable bag from American Bag Company that I thought could solve my potluck problem. I brought it into our lab and evaluated it alongside a $59.95 food carrier from Williams Sonoma. I wanted to test their ability to keep cold food cold, hot food hot, and frozen food frozen.