Put A Quarter In Your Freezer Before The Summer Storms Start

Many of us remember the derecho that hit on August 10th, 2020. While it's hard to believe that it's almost been two years, many of us remember being left without power. Speaking of power outages, many of us deal with them a handful of times a year. That's where this quarter trick comes in.

This idea is a classic, and many have used it for some time. A quarter in the freezer could help you save your food after a summer storm, heavy snowfall, or flood. If these knock out your power, that quarter will tell you if the food is still good.

What It Means

If you're asking yourself "Why should I put a coin on a frozen cup of water before storms?" Don't worry it actually makes sense.

Some have referred to this as 'the one cup tip.' It's as easy as putting a cup of water in your freezer. Once it's frozen put a quarter on top of it and leave it in your freezer.

Reportedly, people who live in areas that have hurricanes use this method frequently. It is meant to help keep their food safe. When one would come home after a hurricane evacuation, one could see if the quarter is still at the top of the cup. If it is, your food is safe to eat because it remained frozen. If the quarter sank, it means that your freezer lost power for a long period of time, and you should throw your food out.

You don't even have to remember to do this trick before a storm, you could just do it now and leave the cup in your freezer, then if it storms you're already set. It's also a fun conversation starter when someone inevitably asks why there is a quarter in your freezer.

How QC Residents Could Use This Trick:

When the power goes out we try to refrain from opening the freezer meaning we can't check on the food. Once the power comes back on we have to use our best judgment on if the food is still good or not. This decision could end up costing you a pretty penny with a trip to the grocery store. seeing as though food prices just keep going up.

If you have the Quarter in there with the water you can see how much it melted to help judge how safe your food is. This is great especially if the power comes back on while you are asleep.

Does It Work?

Ah, the real important question. We always hear about these "great tricks to make life easier, or to help us, but are they real?"

Personally, I have never tried this, but a friend has, and even used it during the derecho. The quarter actually sank to the bottom and then the water refroze! But thankfully since the quarter was at the bottom she knew it wasn't safe to eat.

This is anecdotal of course, but other sources back up this idea as well. You can see more here.

In short, this is a simple enough trick to work for the most part and let you know if your food is safe or not.