🔺  Power outages can lead to expensive food spoilage

🔺  Simple life hack can help save you money

🔺  All you need is a cup and a coin

 

During extremely cold weather in New Jersey, power outages are unfortunately a possibility.

While we’re all used to dealing with the cold, one of the bigger concerns is often what happens to the food in our freezers if we lose power.

We’ve all been there—when the power finally comes back, you might wonder, "Is my frozen food still safe to eat?"

NBCUniversal via Getty Images
NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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The last thing we want to do is toss out perfectly good food, but at the same time, we don’t want to risk feeding our family spoiled items.

Here's a simple hack you can use to figure out whether your frozen food is still good—before the outage even happens!

The key is knowing that the more food you have in your freezer, the longer it will stay cold.

A fuller freezer retains the cold much longer than a half-empty one.

Also, it’s important to keep that freezer door shut as much as possible during the outage.

Every time you open the door, you let out cold air, which makes the temperature rise and can speed up food spoilage.

Here’s an easy life hack to help you check if your frozen food is still safe: Before an outage occurs, fill a mug with water and put it in your freezer.

Credit: MovingOn via YouTube
Credit: MovingOn via YouTube
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Once the water is frozen solid, place a coin on top of the ice.

This simple step allows you to easily monitor how much the temperature fluctuates while the power is out.

When the power returns, check where the quarter is.

If it’s still sitting on top of the ice, your food is likely safe.

However, if the quarter has fallen to the bottom, it means the ice melted and refroze, signaling that the temperature inside the freezer likely rose enough to put the food at risk.

This quick and easy preparation can help save you from food waste and give you peace of mind during a power outage.

Stay safe and keep those frozen foods in check!

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