(ModernSurvival.org) – Modern appliances make prepping for a “rainy day” much easier than it used to be. For instance, refrigeration allows one to store food for much longer periods of time. Toss some meat in the icebox, and it stays good for months. Unfortunately, technology isn’t infallible; if the power goes out, all that food goes to waste.
But what happens if the power goes out while no one is home? Should the electricity start flowing again, causing the food to re-freeze, it could be hard to tell that it ever defrosted. This is a big problem, as eating products that are spoiled could lead to potentially dangerous side effects.
So, how can one tell that their food has defrosted when they’re not home?
One Simple Trick
The easiest way to tell if the freezer has gone down is to set up a cup of water. The trick is to place a coin on top of the water after it has frozen. This way, should the power go out, the ice will melt and drop the coin. The final location of the coin will indicate if the food is still good or not.
If the coin is still at the top of the cup when the power returns, the food should’ve stayed frozen and ready to consume at one’s leisure. If the coin has sunk, however, it’s a good idea to just toss the contents of the freezer in the garbage (or the compost pile if appropriate.)
There’s a chance the coin may end up frozen somewhere in the middle of the cup. This means the contents began to thaw, but the unit began running again before everything was at room temperature. In this case, what one does with the contents is debatable. There’s a 50/50 chance that the items defrosted enough to grow bacteria.
While the freezer is a great place to store food, it isn’t the greatest location for emergency reserves. To find out where the best location for these backup rations is, check out our article here.
~Here’s to Your Survival!
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