A TikTok hack is saving people from eating unsafe food from our freezers, and all it costs is a dime.
The simple, yet clever trick is a great way to check if your freezer is running properly, without any power outages that can spoil your food.
While we might notice that our freezer isn’t performing how it should while we’re at home, especially if you open the door several times a day, you won’t pick up on this when you’re on vacation, or if you have an extra freezer in a garage or outhouse.
With a power outage or a faulty thermostat comes the risk of losing a whole freezer full of food, which, once defrosted and then refrozen, may not be safe to consume. Apart from stopping you from consuming hazardous food, it will save you the cost of restocking. And, if your freezer is anything like mine, it will cost you a big stack of money to replace your supplies.
The best thing about this hack is its simplicity, because when you discover how it works, you’ll wish you’d known about it sooner, and all it takes is a couple of items — a coin, and a cup of water.
Four simple steps to follow
- Take a cup of water and place it in your freezer. Any freeze-safe container will do, so avoid using glass, which can crack.
- Leave the cup, or your chosen container, in the freezer until the water has frozen completely.
- Remove the container once the water is frozen and place a coin on top.
- Replace your cup in the freezer, where you can access it easily, and close the door.
Here, TikTok user @cookistwow shares the hack.
@cookistwow Why are we leaving a #coin in the #freezer? 🤨🪙 The reason why is amazing, such a great hack for the upcoming vacations ⬇️ 💧Fill a glass with water and freeze. Before leaving, place a coin on the frozen surface. ❄️When you return, you will be able to see if the coin is still on the surface, where you left it, or if it has sunk into the ice: this will mean that the power went out during your absence, and therefore the products in the freezer may have been defrosted. Do you know other useful kitchen tricks? Let us know in the comments 👇 #cookistwow #cookisthacks #hacks #kitchen #tricks #useful #amazing #easy #quick #homemade #freezer #ice #summer #vacations #foodtok
♬ A Summer Place - Hollywood Strings Orchestra
The sign that your freezer isn’t staying cool
If you spot that the coin has sunk to the bottom of the container, it’s a clear sign that your freezer’s temperature has risen and caused the ice to melt.
Even though the water may have refrozen, it tells you that at some point, the temperature was not at the correct point to keep your food safe.
However, the worst scenario is to arrive home after a vacation to find the water hasn't refrozen in the cup. You may also discover that your freezer has completely defrosted while you've been away. While I don't enjoy defrosting my freezer, I'd happily swap it for an unintentional defrost any day.
The U.S Food and Drug Administration recommends keeping your freezer temperature at 0° F (-18° C), and that you should check it regularly.
Hopefully, you won’t need to throw out all of your supplies, but if anything looks or smells suspicious, you should discard it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends being aware that food can make you very sick even when it doesn’t look, smell, or taste spoiled.
How to keep your food safe during a power cut
According to FoodSafety.gov, a full freezer will stay cold for up to 48 hours during a power cut if you keep the door closed. This time reduces to 24 hours if the freezer is only half full.
It also adds that food may be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals, or is at 40°F (4°C) or below, although its quality may suffer. And warns, “Never taste food to determine its safety.”
For more guidance on when to refreeze or discard your food, FoodSafety.gov has a helpful guide you can download.
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