A tip for knowing when you lost power for an extended period of time.

You Should Always Put A Quarter On A Frozen Cup Of Water Before A Hurricane

When a major hurricane is on the horizon, packing your bags and leaving home is the safe thing to do. But, if you're worried about the food in your fridge being safe to consume when you return, you're going to want to remember this brilliantly simple trick. If the power goes out while you're gone, everything from meat to milk will be at risk. But, if the power returns before you do, you'll never know if your fridge was running the whole time or not.

This trick really does not have to be a quarter, if could be anything solid, it just has to be heavy enough to sink if the water defrost. It doesn't have to be a hurricane either, really it is a smart thing to do daily, any time you are going to be away from the house for a period of time. Power outages happen all the time and we only know it when we see our digital clocks blinking and only then if they don't have batteries for back up power.

The amount of time can be determined by how deep the item goes. The ice will take a considerable amount of time to melt. If the item sinks to the bottom then it is a good bet your power was out for enough time to spoil products in the fridge. If I am evacuating for a storm though and the power has already gone down, I might take a few items from the fridge and put them in the freezer.

Food spoils when in it is in what is called the "danger zone", 38-138 (40-140 is the restaurant standard). If it is in that zone for a period of 3 1/2 to 4 hours then it is growing bacteria. Smelling something is not always full proof, when in doubt throw it out.