Why You Should Always Have a Quarter in Your Freezer

Power outages happen when they happen, whether we’re out of town or at work, even while winding down and binging a good television series. If we’re home, then we know when and how long our fridge and freezer are off while our food sits there helplessly.

If you’re traveling or just gone for the day, it’s an entirely different situation.

When frozen food thaw,s bacteria will start to take hold immediately. Whether the power is off for 20 minutes or 20 hours, once it’s back on, your food will refreeze with the bacteria.  And if our mom taught us one important thing, it’s that refreezing thawed food is a no-no.

Even the food in our fridge is going to be affected negatively as bacteria take hold while the power is out, warming it all up.

This life hack to help you out is super simple.

You freeze a cup of water and then place a quarter on top of it. Really, any coin works. The position of the coin after a power outage will tell you how long your power was out, according to the Tiffy Taffy website.

If your freezer gets warm enough, the water will melt, and the coin will sink. When the electricity goes back on, the water will refreeze. The location of the coin lets you know if it’s time to throw much of your food out or not.

READ ON: Why You Should Never, Ever Refrigerate These Five Types of Fruit

According to the No Grid Survival Projects website, if the coin is frozen in the middle of the cup or higher, then your power isn’t out long enough for you to be too concerned. However, if the coin is below the halfway mark, then health-wise, you may want to just toss it.

This life hack works if you just have a temperamental fridge and freezer, too.