Before you leave your house, put a coin in the freezer.

Before heading out and leaving your home unattended, it’s crucial to ensure your frozen food remains safe and unspoiled in the event of a power outage. A simple yet ingenious method involving a mug of water and a penny can help you with this. In this article, we’ll explore this useful technique and its benefits, ensuring that your food in the freezer stays fresh, even when you’re away.

Ensuring Frozen Food Safety

Traveling or being away from home can sometimes lead to power outages. When the power goes out, the frozen food in your freezer can defrost, potentially leading to spoilage. However, Sheila Pulanco Russell has come up with a brilliant solution to address this issue.

Sheila’s Method

Sheila Pulanco Russell’s method is incredibly straightforward. All you need is a mug of water and a penny. When you follow her simple tip, you can be confident that your food will remain safe.

1. Place a mug of water in your freezer.
2. Put a penny on top of the ice in the mug.

How It Works

The principle behind this method is easy to understand. If the power goes out, the water in the mug will freeze along with the food in the freezer. When the electricity is restored, the penny will be moved to a new location on top of the ice. If the penny is no longer on the ice, you’ll know that the food has thawed and refrozen.

This ingenious trick can be a real lifesaver for those who frequently leave food in the freezer while traveling or being away from home. With this knowledge, you can have confidence that you’ll always have access to fresh and healthy meals when you return home from your adventures.

Proven Effectiveness

When Sheila shared this idea on Facebook, it received a tremendous response from people who found it exceptionally helpful. The post garnered tens of thousands of reactions and shares, with many individuals praising the experiment’s simplicity and ease of execution.

Additional Tips

Sheila’s “one-cup tip” can also assist in preventing food deterioration during extended holidays or when people are away for a few days. By keeping a cup of frozen water with a quarter on top, you can quickly assess whether the food has remained frozen or has thawed and refrozen, indicating potential deterioration.

This technique can save you money by preventing costly purchases of new refrigerators or wasting food that has deteriorated due to faulty cooling systems. Sheila Pulanco Russell’s straightforward yet efficient tip can be a lifesaver for many people who are frequently inconvenienced by rotting food due to malfunctioning refrigerators or power outages.

Ensuring Food Safety

When it comes to defrosted food, it’s crucial to understand when it’s safe to eat and when it should be discarded. A simple trick using a quarter and a cup can help you make this determination.

If the quarter has dropped to the bottom of the cup, the food has defrosted entirely and should be discarded. However, if the quarter is towards the top or middle of the cup, the food may still be safe to consume.

Your health is paramount when it comes to food safety. If you have any doubts about the quality or safety of your food, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and discard it. Remembering these tips can help you take the necessary precautions to protect your health and well-being.