Everyone that lives in an area prone to power outages knows that when you do lose electricity, the freezer will keep food frozen for a quite a while, provided that you keep the door opening at a minimum. (Having a hurricane party with 10 of your closest neighbors who are opening the freezer every 3 minutes to get an ice refill for their drinks is NEVER a good idea, and yes I learned that the hard way!!)
But how do you tell if your freezer food stays frozen during a power outage?
My friend Doc recently told me a tip for determining if your food is safe to eat after power outages have occurred. It’s something everyone should know… especially those of us that live in fear of the June 1st till November 1st “season” every year!! So simple, yet I’ve NEVER heard this!!
step 1- Take a small cup, fill with water
step 2- Freeze
step 3- Place penny on top of the ice
step 4- Place the cup in an out-of-the-way spot in freezer.
step 5- Check the cup if there has been a power outage, or if you return from a trip. If the penny is still resting on the top of the ice, all is well. If the penny is at the bottom of the cup, it indicates that the freezer food has thawed and has then refrozen, making it not safe to eat.
©2013
Duh! Over 10 years in the Caribbean and I’m hearing this now?
Vintage Key West 