It’s not just inconvenient when your cold or frozen groceries begin to thaw on the way home from the supermarket — warming food can also lead to spoilage, which can make you sick. Fortunately, the best insulated grocery bags keep your cold groceries cold on warm days and even keep your to-go food piping hot when you’re picking up an order from a restaurant.
When shopping for an insulated bag, your number one priority should be to find one that has crucial insulating layers. The best insulated bags use a combination of foil linings that reflect heat back toward the food, plus foam or other insulating materials to reduce heat transfer, helping to keep your items at a food safe temperature.Your bag should also have a zip closure so that you can seal it shut when you’re not packing or unpacking it.
In general, most readily available insulated grocery bags will have an interior capacity of 7 to 10 gallons and hold around 30 pounds. Single-use plastic grocery bags typically have a much smaller capacity, which means one reusable insulated bag can hold multiple plastic grocery bags’ worth of stuff. If you tend to buy lots of groceries at once, you may find that you need multiple insulated bags (or one extra-large insulated bag) to hold all your items.
Whether you’re looking for a tote-style bag, a budget-friendly pair of bags, or a stylish bag with a shoulder strap, here are the best insulated grocery bags to make grocery shopping easier and safer — and they’re all available on Amazon.
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