When you’re getting ready to leave on a trip, or need to leave your home for an evacuation, there are a few things you probably do to get ready. You pack, clean, check the locks, etc. But, do you ever think to check the freezer? This nifty freezer trick is one you’ll have to remember next time you travel!
You only need a few items for this trick, and I bet you already have them around the house. Grab a mug, a coin, and some water. Then, simply fill the mug with water and let it freeze. After the water in the mug is completely frozen, place the coin on top before leaving for your trip.
When you get back from traveling, check the mug. If the coin stayed perched on top of the ice, you can be sure that your freezer was in a good working condition the entire time, and your freezer foods are safe. However, if you find the coin frozen at the bottom of the cup, this means that the freezer wasn’t working for a length of time – long enough for the ice to dethaw.
A coin at the bottom of the cup means the rest of the food in your freezer probably needs to be thrown away, especially meats and leftovers. The other thing you might find is that the coin is frozen halfway in the mug. This means that the freezer turned off at some point, but it recovered pretty quickly. Therefore, your food is most likely safe to consume.
Most people have a checklist of things to do before they leave the house for any amount of time, but the freezer hardly ever makes the list! The last thing anyone wants is to come home to a freezer full of food that is unsafe and inedible! Not only can this be dangerous for the family, but it might take a while for you to find out what the problem was. This way you can deal with the issue head-on and get things back into working order sooner.
If you know of any friends or family members who travel a lot for work or for fun, please pass this tip along! It may seem like an added hassle at first, but as you can see, it can help keep everyone safe and healthy!
