Q. To keep things in my ice chest cold, should I drain the cold water as the ice melts or leave it in the chest?

A. Under most conditions, it is better to keep the cold water in the chest, most scientists, campers, and manufacturers and retailers conclude. Campers have even conducted fairly rigorous experiments to prove this to themselves.

There may be other reasons to drain the chest, like keeping unwrapped food from becoming soggy. But the water from melted ice is kept cool in a well-insulated chest, and the water will cool food more efficiently than the air that would fill the chest if you poured out the cold water.

There are other factors to consider:

A solid block of ice lasts longer in a cooler than small cubes.

As you might expect, food that is already cold when it is put into a cooler will stay colder than warm food that has to be cooled by the ice.

Some heat infiltration through the walls of a cooler can be expected. Metal walls conduct heat more quickly than plastic, though good insulation may make up for the difference.

Finally, the chest should be opened as infrequently as possible, to keep out warm air.

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