Yes, a cooler can keep food hot

A cooler can keep a hot casserole warm for a few hours if you treat it right. Coolers just insulate — they don’t care if it’s cold or hot inside.

The trick is preheating the cooler first. Fill it with hot tap water for a few minutes, dump it, and dry it quickly. Put the hot casserole in, then stuff empty space with towels or blankets so less air can circulate. Close the lid and don’t open it until you arrive.

It won’t hold food piping hot for six hours the way a proper insulated food carrier or slow cooker will, but for a short trip to a holiday dinner it works surprisingly well. Just make sure your cooler’s plastic is rated for hot food temps — most modern ones are fine, but old cheap coolers can get smelly or warped.

This is not where you save six bucks on a hot-food carrier, but for the occasional casserole run your existing cooler is absolutely good enough.