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Posted: 2024-07-23T09:45:09Z | Updated: 2024-07-23T09:45:09Z Everything The Professionals Recommend For Outdoor Summer Entertaining | HuffPost Life

Everything The Professionals Recommend For Outdoor Summer Entertaining

Coolers, food storage solutions and other little helpful details to make your backyard party a breeze.
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Amazon
A Yeti backpack cooler , a wheeled outdoor patio cooler and an ice bed appetizer tray .

Barbecues, beach picnics , garden parties and backyard gatherings seem to be the cornerstone of warm weather entertaining . To be sure that youre prepared for whatever outdoor event youve got planned this season, we called upon  hospitality professionals to find out the product essentials that they recommend to pull it all off, without a hitch. 

 Peruse the upcoming selection of expert-recommended coolers to transport and serve all your essential beverages, clever items that keep flying critters away from your food and gorgeous enamel serving trays. We even added some picks of our own. 

HuffPost and its publishing partners may receive a commission from some purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently curated by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.

1
All Modern
A Permasteel outdoor patio cooler on wheels
Rob Pausmith, the founder of the hospitality and events company the Pausmith Group , suggested this fun patio cooler by Permasteel that has four lockable caster wheels, a dual-lid top and an 80-quart capacity large enough to hold over 100 12-ounce cans. The insulated basin and alloy steel exterior claim to keep beverages cold for up to 36 hours while an integrated bottle opener and cap catcher makes cracking open bottles neat and easy.

"Fill it up with water bottles, Italian sodas, and bottled tea for a refreshing station guests can help themselves to," Pausmith said.

You can find the Permasteel cooler in nine retro-inspired colors.
2
World Market
A natural fiber mesh food cover
"Keep bugs at bay with a mesh food cover to allow your food to be displayed beautifully and stay fresh," Pausmith said of this extra large serving dome that's handcrafted in the Philippines from natural fiber and fine mesh netting.
3
Six basic pop-up food covers
Our pick: If you have more than just a few dishes to keep safe from bugs, this six-pack of large mesh covers can be a more economical purchase. They have over 15,200 5-stars on Amazon and easily pop open to use and collapse for easy storage.
4
A set of four tabletop fly fans
Another clever tool for warding off unwelcome pests comes at the suggestion of Jennifer Coman, the creative director an co-founder of the Los Angeles-based Haute Chefs catering company. These battery-operated fly fans use flexible, light-refracting and safe-to-touch blades that rotate at a constant speed to recreate a swatting motion.
5
A retro stainless steel cooler
"We love a vintage-inspired ice box that can also be portable," said Coman, who picked out this retro 12-quart cooler constructed of double-insulated stainless steel and with an integrated bottle opener on the cooler's side. "Order a few and dedicate each one for a specific beverage if needed," Coman said. Don't forget to clip the on-page coupon to get an extra 10% off. The savings will be reflected at checkout, not in your cart.
6
A pop-up shade canopy
Our pick: "Make sure you're providing items for comfort, like shaded seating," Pausmith said. Based on his suggestion, we found this highly rated shade canopy that pops up and is ready to use with just a push of a button, no tools required. The legs can be adjusted to three different heights and the canopy top is both water- and flame-resistant, is infused UPF50+ sun protection and is strategically vented to prevent it from blowing away in the wind. Find this in several colors and two sizes.
7
A Yeti backpack cooler
According to Trigg Brown, chef and co-owner of Win Son in Brooklyn, New York City, the Yeti brand that we know and love is great for more than just camping supplies. The brand's cooler packs specifically are great for transporting both food and beverages for enjoyment outdoors.

This Yeti Hopper is a wearable soft-sided cooler that's completely leak-resistant and made of a high-density fabric that's resistant to punctures, UV damage and mildew. The pop-open top also stays open if desired, making it easy for you and others to grab beverages and bites as they need. The Hopper is available in two sizes and seven colors.
8
A large enamel serving tray and platter
"A large enamel tray is such an essential it is versatile and can be used as a beverage tray to create a chic base for a 'cocktail station' to place glasses and cocktail ingredients on in a styling way," Coman said.

She's a fan of these colorful and dishwasher-safe enamelware pieces by Crow Canyon, which she said can also be used as "a serving platter for large salads, crudits assembled in a beautiful way or even used as a base for crushed ice and oysters, chilled shrimp and other chilled foods."
9
An ice bed serving tray
Our pick: This acrylic appetizer tray is great for transporting, serving and keeping various bites and finger foods chilled thanks to the bottom receptacle made for holding ice. There's a center compartment for dips and each section of the tray is slotted so contents don't get soggy. Each section also comes with a matching lid.
10
A pair of inflatable serving bars
Our pick: If you're hosting a large group and want to create a large accessible serving station that also keeps its contents chilled, these inflatable bars might be worth the $16. There's a built-in draining port so melting ice doesn't pool in the bottom of the tray and they can even float in water so guests don't even have to exit the pool to grab a fresh beverage.
11
An insulated and sealing wine tumbler
According to Brown, Yeti's "awesome" wine and cocktail tumblers are great for barbecues, outdoor dinners or even for enjoying a beverage on the porch. In keeping with the brand's reputation for crafting insanely durable drinkware that keeps beverages cold or hot for long periods of time, this 10-ounce, easy-to-stack wine tumbler is made with vacuum-insulated stainless steel and a brushed exterior that's resistant to condensation. It features the brand's well-known mag-sliding lid and comes in tons of color options, like this limited edition lilac and classic charcoal gray .
12
A Yeti insulated travel cocktail shaker
You and your guests can enjoy freshly shaken margaritas on the beach or in the backyard with this 20-ounce shaker also from Yeti. It's great for transporting pre-batched cocktails just add ice from your cooler and keeping contents chilled. Just like the brand's selection of mugs, cups and tumblers, this cocktail shaker is also made from vacuum-insulated stainless steel and comes in brushed exterior options that are resistant to condensation.
13
A covered insulated ice bucket
Our pick: If you need a designated ice station for freshening up rapidly melting cocktails or replenishing serving trays, this double-wall-insulated bucket by Oggi might be worth buying. It has a 4.6 out of 5-star Amazon rating, comes with a large stainless steel ice scoop and an acrylic lid that can help keep the ice clean and cold for longer.
14
Pottery Barn
A woven rattan cutlery caddy
For storing and transporting flatware and napkins, Pausmith suggested this woven rattan cutlery caddy featuring three ample-sized compartments and a handle.
15
A large dual-sided picnic blanket
Our pick: Nothing puts a damper on picnics quite like a damp pair of pants after sitting in the grass for too long. The Scuddles extra large and padded picnic blanket features waterproof PEVA backing to prevent moisture from seeping thorough the fabric and preventing stains. It's machine-washable and conveniently rolls up into itself.

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