Are you going on holiday? Freeze a coin! Have you ever come home from vacation and noticed the digital clock showing the wrong time? If so, then there has probably been a power outage while you were gone. These power cuts can occasionally have some severe consequences. Also, what if you don’t have a digital clock? Then there’s no way of knowing whether there has been a power cut. A power cut isn’t disastrous, but it can cause trouble in your freezer.
When you’re going on holiday, there’s a lot you need to remember. Someone has to feed your pet, you need to store valuables in a secure place and also lock your house well against burglars. Did you remember to turn off the stove? Is the thermostat on low? There are many things you need to remember when you’re leaving home for a week or longer. Therefore, this trick of putting a coin in your freezer will help you once you get home from holiday.
If you’ve been away from home for a few days and notice that your digital clock displays a different time than it actually is, you know the power has been off for a while. But, if you don’t own a digital clock, there’s no way of knowing. What’s so bad about a power outage while you were away? Well, if the power was cut for a longer time, your freezer likely defrosted. The food inside thawed, meaning that bacteria could grow. Especially if you store meat in your freezer this can be detrimental to your health. Meat that’s been defrosted and frozen again is not only bad taste-wise, but when meat thaws it allows for bacteria such as Salmonella and E. Coli to grow.
So, it’s bad when your freezer thaws. When meat defrosts, it can easily make you ill. Other food that was stored in your freezer will not immediately make you sick, but it will likely have lost its flavour and texture. Your ice cream will have turned into ice crystals, which won’t taste nice either.
The trick to discovering whether there has been a power outage while you were away is to put a coin in your freezer. The American woman Sheila Russell thought of this brilliant hack! She realised freezing a coin is the perfect trick to deduct a power cut. Simply fill a plastic cup with water and put it upright in the freezer. Wait until the water is completely frozen and then put a coin on top of it. When you come home from your holiday, and the coin turns up at the bottom of the cup, you know your freezer has thawed.
This is also a useful tip for people who are having problems with their freezer. If your freezer has the habit of turning off by itself, simply put a cup of ice with a coin on top in your freezer to easily see if the freezer has warmed up. Regularly check back to see if your freezer is truly broken. Did you know you can’t just freeze anything you like? Lots of people put their leftover food in Tupperware and dump it in the freezer for later use, but not every meal is good for this. Pasta and rice lose their taste and their consistency will go slimy and gooey.