Hoosiers Should Put a Quarter in Their Freezer Right Now

This handy dandy tip might be especially helpful during this time of the year, when temperatures may routinely drop below the freezing mark, and power outages might be more frequent. It's a super simple and cheap "trick" that could save you money and keep you from getting sick. Let me explain.

The "One Cup" Tip

All you'll need for this hack is a cup of some kind (paper, coffee mug, etc), some water, and a quarter. The first step is to fill up the cup with water, then stick it in the freezer until is frozen solid. Finally, put the quarter (or I reckon you could use any coin) on top of the ice and leave it in your freezer. That cup of ice and that quarter will now kind of serve as your eyes within the freezer - a warning system if you will in case things go awry in there. Here's how.

You have most likely experienced a power outage, and you have most likely had to throw away a bunch of food because of it. You probably threw the food away "just to be safe," but it may not have been necessary. Conversely, you might have kept food that had thawed and refrozen which should have been tossed. Well, next time you lose power, you can just look at that cup and quarter to find out what to do.

If the quarter is still on top of the ice, that means the power wasn't out long enough for the ice (and your food) to melt, so you are most likely good to go. If, however, the quarter is at the bottom of the frozen cup, that means the power was out long enough to melt the ice, allowing the quarter to sink, and the water to re-freeze once power was restored. In that case, your re-frozen food will most likely need to be thrown away.