Let it cool first.

No, you shouldn’t put hot food directly into a cooler.

The problem isn’t that the cooler can’t handle it — it’s that the hot food will warm up everything else in there, melting ice and raising the internal temperature into the danger zone. Bacteria love that. So does soggy lettuce.

Cool the food on the counter for 20-30 minutes first, then put it in the cooler. If you’re worried about food safety, you can speed up cooling by putting the pot in an ice bath or splitting the food into shallow containers.

Trying to cool hot food in a closed cooler is basically making a slow cooker. You’ll just end up with lukewarm potato salad and a gallon of melted ice.