Sausage rolls are a classic picnic food. Their savory, meaty filling wrapped up in flaky pastry is easy to eat on the go and delicious at any temperature. However, serving up hot, freshly baked sausage rolls can really take your picnic food to the next level. There’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into a tender, steamy sausage roll straight from the oven.
The challenge is keeping those sausage rolls warm and appetizing for your guests once you transport them to the picnic site With a few simple tricks, you can have piping hot sausage rolls ready to enjoy all throughout your picnic Here are my best tips for keeping sausage rolls warm when picnicking.
Pack Them in an Insulated Cooler Bag
Insulated cooler bags designed for transporting hot or cold foods are perfect for keeping sausage rolls warm en route to your picnic. Look for bags made from materials like nylon, polyester, or vinyl that have foam or other insulation inside. The insulation traps heat to prevent it from escaping.
Preheat your insulted bag by filling it with hot water and letting it sit closed for 5-10 minutes before emptying. Place your foil wrapped sausage rolls inside then top with extra towels or newspaper to fill empty spaces. Keep the bag zipped or closed tightly. The insulation will keep rolls hot for hours.
Double Wrap in Foil
Before placing sausage rolls into your insulated picnic bag, be sure to wrap them thoroughly in heavy duty aluminum foil. Start with a sheet large enough to fully wrap each piece with overlapping edges. Fold and crimp the foil tightly around each roll to seal in steam and heat.
For even more insulation, double wrap rolls by putting each foil packet inside a second sheet of foil before crimping it tightly. The double layer helps prevent heat from escaping into the outside air. Change the foil if it tears or develops holes.
Pre-Heat Serving Platters
Once at your picnic, your insulated bag will keep rolls warm for a while, but eventually you’ll need to transfer them to a serving platter. Prevent cold platters from sucking heat out of the rolls by pre-heating them before use.
Place disposable aluminum platters directly on your grill or campfire for 2-3 minutes, just until warmed through. Or fill non-disposable platters with hot water for 5 minutes before emptying and adding rolls.
Include Chemical Hand Warmers
For picnics lasting over 2 hours, supplement your insulating cooler bag with some chemical hand warmers. Activate the warmers per package instructions and place them evenly spaced in the bottom of your bag. Top with foil-wrapped sausage rolls, then more warmers and insulation like towels or crumpled paper.
The combination of insulation and gentle heat from the warmers will keep your sausage rolls piping hot and delicious. Just be sure to keep them in foil to prevent direct contact with the warmers.
Keep Near Other Heat Sources
If you brought along other heated elements to your picnic, take advantage by parking your insulated bag containing sausage rolls near the heat source. Places like right next to the portable grill, near a bonfire, or on a sun-warmed picnic table work great. This provides extra ambient heat to supplement the bag’s insulation.
Rotate the bag every 10-15 minutes so all sides benefit from the exposure to heat. Just don’t place right on top of heat sources or rolls could overcook.
Take Advantage of Direct Sunlight
If your picnic will be on a sunny day, use that bright sunlight to your advantage for heating. Place your insulated cooler bag containing sausage rolls in a direct sun spot when you arrive at the picnic grounds. Rotate the bag every 15 minutes or so to maintain even heating on all sides.
The radiant heat from the sun will flood through the translucent sides of the bag, helping elevate and maintain the internal temperature. Just make sure to keep the bag out of any shady spots.
Play Hot Potato With Rolls
If your picnic will have kids in attendance, make a fun game out of keeping rolls warm by playing hot potato with them. Have the kids gently toss foil-wrapped sausage rolls back and forth, keeping them moving at all times. This prevents any one roll from cooling too much while also keeping kids entertained.
Gently remind kids not to actually throw or spike the rolls like a ball, as this could damage the pastry. Supervise young ones to ensure gentle underhand tosses only. It’s a great way to maintain warmth with a side of family fun.
Insulate Your Serving Platter
You can use materials on hand at your picnic to help insulate your serving platter for extra heat retention. Line the bottom of a plastic, wood, or other non-conductive platter with scrunched up aluminum foil before placing hot sausage rolls on top.
Then, surround the arranged sausage rolls with added crumpled foil. Top the platter with a layer of paper napkins to trap rising heat. Swap out with new foil and napkins as needed.
Take Portable Warmers Along
Battery-operated portable food warmers are a great option for keeping sausage rolls toasty all day long, no matter the picnic conditions. Look for electric warming trays, plates, or hot plates powered by outlets, USB, or batteries. Place foil-wrapped rolls on the devices and use as needed to re-heat.
Self-heating hand warmers also come in larger sizes designed to warm plates of food. Activate per instructions and place under an insulated serving dish stacked with sausage rolls. Portable warmers give you flexibility.
Wrap in Heat-Retaining Fabrics
Some fabrics naturally retain heat better than others. Enclose your foil-wrapped sausage rolls in an added layer of towels, blankets, or other heat-trapping fabrics inside your insulated bag. The extra insulation takes heat retention up a notch.
Wool, felt, flannel, fleece, burlap, and even that old velour track suit help lock in warmth. Just avoid letting fabric directly touch rolls, or moisture could soak through foil. Check frequently and re-wrap in fresh dry fabric as needed.
Take Some Raw Dough as a Back-Up
If all else fails and your sausage rolls still end up cold, you can rebake them on site for piping hot freshness. Simply pack some raw sausage roll dough and a small portable oven, electric grill, or other cooking device.
Shaped uncooked rolls wrapped in plastic can be stowed in your cooler until needed. Then bake up hot, tasty sausage rolls anytime. Be sure to only consume fully cooked rolls fresh out of the oven.
With some creativity and the right gear, you can enjoy mouthwatering hot sausage rolls all throughout your picnic or outdoor event. Remember food safety basics and discard any rolls held at unsafe temperatures for too long. A little planning goes a long way toward picnic perfection.
How to keep food warm at a party
While these are cute, they’re not very classy when they’re sitting on a buffet table. They’re great for getting to the party. On top of that, there’s always a good-hearted “helper” who takes everything out of the carriers 30 minutes before the meal.
Or maybe you have something that doesn’t keep heat in well or would get wet if you covered it up. Like my sausage balls I make every Christmas, for instance. Or, delicious rolls like these.
Okay, the Secret is:
That hot pack that comes with your casserole carrier? It will keep food hot for a long time… maybe an hour and a half to two hours. Pull it out and slip it under your casserole dish on the buffet table.
Seriously, no one will be the wiser. Also, the other cooks who are now serving cold mush will be green with envy when people say nice things about you. The truth is, your dish may be no better than theirs, but yours stayed WARM!.
Heres what I do with the sausage balls or rolls. Just slip the hot pack in a basket and then line it with pretty napkins. Ive got this great basket thats the perfect size and shape.
See the hot pack hiding under there? It will keep food warm and its pretty sneaky, huh?
To be honest, I havent used the cold pack nearly as much as the hot one, but I have used it, and it works great too.
I see now on Amazon that they have these combination packs that can be either heated or frozen. Ive not tried them, but if you have, leave a comment and let us know if it works well.
Nicky’s Quick and Easy Sausage Rolls
How do you keep sausage rolls warm?
Simply place a hot water bottle or heat pack in your cooler bag or wrap your picnic blanket around a hot water bottle before placing your sausage rolls on top. 3. Use Heat Packs: Heat packs are a great way to keep your sausage rolls warm without going soggy. Simply wrap your sausage rolls in foil and place a heat pack on top.
How do you heat up sausage rolls?
Make sure the heat pack is not too hot, as this can cause the sausage rolls to dry out or burn. You can use a microwaveable heat pack or a reusable gel heat pack. 3. Use Heavy-Duty BBQ Foil: For maximum insulation, it’s recommended that you use heavy-duty BBQ foil to wrap your sausage rolls and heat pack. 4.
How to pack hot food for a picnic?
Aluminum foil on its own can only keep food warm for around 30 minutes, so it should only constitute the first layer when packing your picnic fare. To be more effective, this versatile kitchen wrap should be teamed up with other forms of insulation around the food. A sturdy cooler is one of your best tools for packing hot food for picnics.
How do you keep hot food steamy at a picnic?
An effective way to keep hot food steamy and ready to serve at picnics is to add a microwavable hot pack. You may need to microwave the hot pack in short bursts and knead the gel periodically to get it to heat up most effectively. Gel hot packs work best when they are placed directly against food that is wrapped in aluminum foil.