Take it outside

Tips and advice for staging the perfect picnic

Blade Runner

Slicing a tomato with a plastic knife simply doesn't cut it. And yet, who carts their good knife to a picnic? Here's a tip: You can use a cone-shaped paper coffee filter as a makeshift sheath for carrying a medium or small knife. Slip the knife into the filter, making sure the blade lies along the reinforced seam. Roll the paper around the blade to form a sheath and pack carefully. Perfect tomato slices will be a cinch!

Relish the Thought

Bringing condiments to a picnic can be a real hassle: They take up a lot of space and the last thing you need is extra weight. Consider using a muffin tin as a condiment tray. Fill each section with a different condiment--ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, salsa and relish--and cover tightly. Pack the muffin tin flat, near the top of your cooler, then just unwrap and place it in the center of the table.

Cool It

In lieu of blue ice freezer packs to keep your cooler items chilled, fill clean milk cartons with water and freeze. Or, line large shallow plastic storage containers with foil or plastic wrap, fill with water and freeze until solid. Then place the chunk of ice in a zip-close bag.

Berry Good

Juicy ripe strawberries dipped in melted chocolate are not only delicious, they're also great picnic fare because you can eat them out of hand. But if you hate the flat spots that develop when chocolate-coated strawberries harden on a baking sheet, then here's a tip you'll love: Stick a strong toothpick into the stem end of each berry, then coat them with melted chocolate, shaking off the excess. Turn the dipped berries upside down and stick the toothpicks into an empty cardboard egg carton or a block of Styrofoam packaging. Berries are held upright until the coating dries, so they'll have a shiny coating with no flat spots. Pack them in an airtight container and place in a cooler.

Incredible Edibles

The presentation of a salad at a picnic is almost as important as its flavor. An easy way to add color (and flavor) is with edible flowers, such as nasturtiums, chive blossoms, pansies, roses and violets. Store edible blooms in an airtight container in a cooler until you are ready to use them. Flowers can be used whole or you can pull off the petals and scatter them over or around the dish. (Not all flowers are edible, so check with a florist or your local poison control center to be sure.)

Dry Idea

If you think your picnic spot might be wet or damp, take along a plastic tarp or several large plastic bags to spread out underneath your tablecloth or blanket.

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