I’m not much of a morning person, so anything I can do to make the start of my day as painless as possible is a big win.
When I used to drink from a Nalgene every day, I’d fill it with water or iced coffee the night before and stick it in the fridge so it was grab-and-go the next morning.
But when I swapped over to a Stanley Cup, I wasn’t completely sure if it was actually okay to put it in the refrigerator or not.
It’s perfectly safe to put your Stanley Cup in the fridge. The stainless steel body and plastic lid are easily able to handle temperatures much lower than a refrigerator with no problem.
Pre-chilling your Stanley Cup in the fridge can even help your drinks stay cold for longer by helping them start off with a lower internal temperature.
Just keep in mind, your Stanley’s insulation will prevent room temperature drinks from cooling off very quickly in the refrigerator, so be sure to fill it with an already cold drink before sticking it in the fridge.
Now I’m back to refrigerating my iced coffee the night before and sticking my Stanley Cup in the fridge to keep cool when I know I won’t be taking a drink for a while. And my mornings are running a lot smoother ever since.
It’s Perfectly Fine To Put Your Stanley Cup In The Refrigerator
Putting your Stanley Cup in the refrigerator is perfectly safe. It won’t damage your tumbler, make your drinks taste weird, or cause any other issues.
Just be sure you’re not putting your Stanley Cup in the freezer. As the liquid inside expands it could misshape your tumbler or damage its vacuum-insulated seal.
Refrigerating Your Stanley Cup Can Help Your Drinks Stay Cold Longer
Not only will sticking your filled Stanley Cup in the fridge help your drinks stay cold longer, pre-chilling your Stanley in the fridge before filling it can help as well.
Think of it this way. When you fill a warm Stanley Cup, your cold drink and ice are immediately working to cool down the warm walls and air inside your tumbler — slightly raising the temperature.
Filling an already cold tumbler with a nice cold drink avoids this issue entirely.
And while the difference is pretty minor overall, if you really want to maximize the time your drinks stay cold, it’s a handy trick to know.
Lukewarm Drinks Won’t Cool Down Very Quickly In The Fridge
Filling your Stanley Cup and sticking it in the fridge might seem like a great way to chill some water or iced coffee for later, but if you’re filling it with a lukewarm or room temperature drink, you may find that it doesn’t cool down nearly as fast as you might expect.
And the reason is simple.
Stanley Cups are very well insulated.
The same insulation that’s great at keeping your drinks cold for the entire day can also be counterproductive when you’re trying to cool your drink down.
Insulation drastically slows down temperature change in your tumbler, meaning that it will also keep warmth in and keep cold out.
So just be sure to fill your Stanley with an already cold drink, cool your drink down in a non-insulated container and move it to your Stanley just before use, or refrigerate your Stanley with the lid off so the insulation isn’t so effective.
