Who doesn’t pack their bags this summertime and spend a week, or even the whole month away on vacation? But before you leave remember to put a coin in the freezer, it could come in very handy!

Upon returning from vacation, it is common to go around the house to make sure everything is in order just as it was when we left. However, there are details that we cannot perceive with the naked eye, such as a power failure during our absence. It is important to know if the power has gone out for a long time, because the food we have in our refrigerator and freezer may be in poor condition.

Coin in the freezer: leave it before you go on vacation, it will come in handy!

As is the case with so many other things, there is a very ingenious trick that lets you know if the appliances have stopped working for a long time, and in this way, you also avoid food poisoning, especially in this very hot period when food deteriorates easily. For this trick, all you need is some water, a coin and a cup. First, the chosen container is filled with water and then placed in the freezer. Once the water is completely frozen, the coin is placed on top of the frozen water.

In this way, when we return home after the vacation, if the coin is down in the cup, it will mean that there was a power outage, so the refrigerator defrosted and froze again later. Therefore, it is likely that the food has gone bad and must be thrown away. If, on the other hand, the coin remains on top, it is because there was no electrical problem, so all the food in the freezer continues to be well preserved and we can eat it in peace.

This simple trick went viral on Twitter after one account shared a WhatsApp conversation. Likewise, many other users confirmed that they also perform this practice before going away for so many days. In addition, this trick is also useful for those people who perhaps are traveling for work often, or those who perhaps have a second home and thus often happen to spend a lot of time in between.

Coin in the freezer: the trick that can save your life!

On the other hand, other people warn that this may not always be effective. This is because the ice in the cup takes much less time to thaw than other foods such as meat, so even if the coin is down, the rest of the products in the freezer may be in good condition. In this case, some people recommend “smelling it” to check.

However, this is a very useful quick practice to avoid eating or drinking food that has gone bad, especially when the trip, vacation, or absence from home has lasted many days. One should always pay attention and prevent, if possible, on everything related to food.