A barbecue cook out is not necessarily a picnic. Often a barbecue and picnic are combined. Sometimes the old fashioned basket lunch picnic is the theme for a day in the country or at the beach. The meal carried in a hamper calls for special planning and certain specialized picnic accessories. First essential in the packed lunch is a bottle opener-can opener gadget. Then at least two knives are needed for slicing bread or buns, cake, or other larger items, and a small knife for fruit, tomatoes, and for spreading butter or mayonnaise. And don’t forget the bug deterrents. Sprays and sticks of smudge smoke, or ointment or cream sticks for bare legs.

If a picnic fire is to be built, add safety matches to the hamper. Take a small amount of kindling along for the fire at the picnic grounds, or a tube of the jelly compound packaged for the purpose of starting an outdoor fire easily and quickly.

Sandwiches, the mainstay of picnic spreads, can be made the night before if they are generously buttered, then wrapped individually in heavy waxed paper. They should be placed on a tray, covered with a damp towel, ten with heavy foil, and stored in the refrigerator until time to pack the hamper the next day. If possible, take the tray right along, damp towel and all. This insures fresher sandwiches.

Wash celery, carrot sticks, green pepper sections, tomatoes, lettuce hearts. Chill in waxed paper or plastic bag in the refrigerator all night and take to picnic right in the wrappings. Open chilled olive jars or bottles at home. Drain. Close again, and add to the hamper.

For young children in the picnic party provide a snack sandwich or some fruit to be served before the picnic lunch or supper is ready.

Provide good quality paper plates and cups. Use vacuum containers for hot and cold foods. For instance, a large vacuum jug should be chilled several hours by filling it with ice. Empty it and fill with chilled salad. Or fill vacuum jug with warm water to heat it. Empty it and fill with hot coffee or soup. New insulated containers for ice cubes will keep cubes several hours if packed just before leaving and kept tightly closed, with a thick wrapping of newspaper all around it.

Small cakes, such as cupcakes, cookies, and pound cakes travel better than layer cakes. Small pies, such as tarts and turnovers, travel better than a large pie.

Chilled fruits, especially melons, will remain cool 2 or 3 hours if you wrap them in foil as soon as they are taken from the refrigerator, then wrapped quickly in newspaper and put more foil around it.

Take plenty of paper napkins along, and straws for the long cold drinks. Don’t forget the salt and pepper, the sugar for the coffee. And don’t forget the plastic forks, knives, and spoons. Besides the paper tablecloths for the picnic on the grass or sand, there are washable plastic cloths. Or use a bamboo window shade as a base on which to place plates or buns, sandwiches, and other good things.

Plan your menu around your equipment and the appetites of your family and friends. Remember that picnic food – salads, sandwiches, deviled eggs, good pickles and olives, fruit, delicious cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts – taste better outdoors than the dishes you are used to serving in your dining room. Plenty of hot coffee, plenty of chilled fruit juice add to this pleasure.