Picture it: You’re flying home to see your family for Christmas and you want to bring them a jar of the apple butter you spent all weekend making. You pack it carefully in your carry-on, certain it can make it through TSA because it’s not a liquid, but your bag gets flagged and the agent at the end of the security conveyer belt tells you that your treat is on the “no fly” list.
Why? And what are some other surprising things that won’t — or will — make it through security at the airport?
That’s what we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — asked HuffPost senior reporter Caroline Bologna when she dropped by the studio to share her tips and tricks for doing airports better.
While most of us know we can’t bring more than 3.4 ounces of a liquid through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint, we may not be aware that the term “liquid” covers a lot more ground than we might think.
“Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the TSA, says, ‘a good rule of thumb is that if you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it, then it’s a liquid, gel, or aerosol’” and isn’t allowed through security, Punjabi said.
So, that includes a bottle of apple juice and that apple butter we mentioned earlier (unless they measure less than 3.4 ounces). You also can’t bring almond butter or cream cheese (they’re spreadable), but you can pack your carry-on with almonds or a block of cheddar. Solid chocolate is just fine, but liquid chocolate is a no-no.
The TSA website notes , “It’s okay to bring uncooked potatoes to be cooked and mashed at a traveler’s destination, but after they are prepared as mashed potatoes, they’re not exactly what one would define as a solid,” so they must be limited to 3.4 ounces or transported in your checked luggage.
Other items that aren’t allowed in your carry-on include Magic 8 Ball toys, gel heating or cooling packs (unless they’re deemed “ medically necessary ”), and any sizes of snow globes that contain more than 3.4 ounces of liquid.
Surprisingly, your pet fish is welcome — along with more than 3.4 ounces of water to swim in — as long as it’s in a clear container so the agent can inspect it (the same goes with a live lobster, but check with your airline to make sure they’re cool with it too). Fresh eggs are also good to go (though it’s not recommended to leave eggs out of the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours), even though they certainly seem more liquid than solid to us.
One of our favorite things we learned during our discussion is a 100% TSA-approved hack for getting a full bottle of liquid through airport security: freeze it before you leave your house.
“You don’t want to pay $12 for a drink once you get through TSA,” Michelson noted. “But you can bring a totally frozen bottle of water or orange juice or [any other liquid], as long as it hasn’t melted, it’s not slushy, or if it’s melted a little bit or it’s slushy a little bit, make sure [that liquid measures] less than 3.4 ounces.”
You can use the freezing hack for any soft or liquid food too, so if you want to bring frozen soup, tomato sauce or jam, go for it. Just remember it must be frozen solid when it’s screened and that the final decision of whether it passes TSA muster rests in the hands of whatever agent you encounter at the checkpoint you’re visiting.
“The guidelines have gotten clearer, but I think sometimes things really just depend on who you’re dealing with — how new they are [to the job], what kind of mood they’re in,” Bologna told us. “No one’s really their best at the airport, and I imagine if your job is interacting with people who are not at their best all day long, it’s probably not great.”
Want to check if a particular item has a good chance of sailing through security? Head to the TSA’s website or try asking via social media .
We also chatted about a way to decrease our TSA wait time that doesn’t require paying for TSA PreCheck or Clear, the first thing to do if our flight gets canceled, some fun ways to pass the time while waiting for our flight, and much more.
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you get your podcasts .
Make sure to subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” on whatever podcast platform you prefer so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations of the ins and outs of tipping ; how to apologize or vanquish your credit card debt ; how to find love online or overcome anxiety ; tips for online shopping , taking care of your teeth and pooping like a pro ; secrets to booking and staying in a hotel ; how to deal with an angry person ; cooking tips from celebrity chef Jet Tila ; shocking laundry secrets ; the tips and tricks for cleaner dishes ; and getting your best workout , plus much more.
Need some help with something you might be doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com , and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.
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