Have you ever observed that your digital clocks are blinking at the incorrect time after returning from a trip, business trip, or even a family weekend away?
It doesn’t take long to realize that there was a power outage while you were away, but you can’t really pinpoint when or how long it lasted. Therefore, it’s also impossible to determine the precise amount of time that the food in your freezer may have thawed, degraded, and then frozen again.
Is it, though?
When Hurricane Matthews hit parts of the United States in 2016, a woman by the name of Sheila Pulanco Russell posted a helpful tip on Facebook for anyone who had to leave their house.
However, knowing this tip can also help you in the event of an extended absence from home. It will also take the worry out of determining if the food in your freezer is safe to consume or should be thrown out immediately.
The secret is in the miraculous fusion of three commonplace, yet useful items that everyone has on hand: a penny, a mug, and some tap water.
Facebook user Sheila Pulanco Russell is the source.
Sheila provides instructions in a Facebook post that immediately gathered hundreds of thousands of likes and shares. She writes:
I’ve heard a fantastic advice for those of you who are fleeing the coast. We refer to it as the one-cup tip. You fill your freezer with a cup of water. Place a quarter on top of it and return it to your freezer after it has solidified. In this manner, you may determine whether your food went bad and just refroze or whether it stayed frozen while you were away when you return after being evacuated.
You should discard the food if the quarter has defrosted and dropped to the bottom of the cup. However, your food can still be fine if the quarter is either at the top or in the center of the cup. Additionally, it would be a fantastic idea to keep this in your freezer at all times so you have this handy tip in case of an unexpected power outage.
Simply toss out the food if it doesn’t make you feel good. The safety of all is the most important thing. Would you kindly SHARE this on your page?
Easy to use, efficient, and most importantly, cost-effective as it eliminates the need to throw away a lot of food. Please tell all of your friends about this clever trick!
