You’ll be Glad You Put a Coin in Your Freezer in New England

Putting a coin in frozen water in a cup in the freezer sounds funny, but there’s a good reason and it really works.

Losing Power to Your Freezer

If your fridge goes out, and you’re at work or away, how do you know how long it's been off? And how do you know if the food is still frozen and OK?

Storms and Power Outages in Maine

Bad weather and power outages are coming this winter to Maine. There’s plenty of things to focus on when there’s a storm than whether your food is growing bacteria in your freezer.

Life Hack: Quarter in the Freeze

Here’s how it works. Grab a normal size coffee cup and fill it with water. Put it in the freezer overnight or for a couple of hours. Take a coin, usually a quarter, and put it on the ice in the coffee cup. You’re pretty much done, according to Country Living. Let the coin do the rest.

Quarter Melts in the Ice

If the Freezer shuts off or the power goes out, the ice will melt and the coin will sink. You can gauge how long the freezer’s been off by how much the quarter has sunk.

How Long was the Freezer Off?

The general rule is if the coin is half way in the cup, then the freezer hasn’t been off for too long and the food should be alright.  If the freezer was off and came back on, you’ll see the quarter frozen in the ice.

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Try it This Winter in Maine

It gives you a hack to see how long it was off. Try it and see how handy it is this winter in Maine.