This Is Why Smart Quad City Residents Now Have Quarters In Their Freezers

I'm sure we all remember the derecho that hit on August 10, 2020. Many of us were left without power. Speaking of power outages, many of us deal with them at least a handful of times a year. That's where this quarter trick comes in.

This idea has been around for a while now, and many have used it for some time. A quarter in the freezer could help you save your food.

Why you should put a coin on a frozen cup of water before storms:

Also referred to as 'the one cup tip.' You put a cup of water in your freezer. Freeze it solid and then put a quarter on top of it and leave it in your freezer.

Many people who live in areas that have hurricanes use this method. It is meant to help keep their food safe. When one would come home after a hurricane evacuation, one could see if the quarter is still at the top of the cup. If it is, your food is safe to eat. If the quarter sank, it means that your freezer lost power and you should throw your food out.

Why QC Residents use this trick:

When the power goes out we try to refrain from opening the freezer meaning we can't check on the food. Once the power comes back on we have to use our best judgment on if the food is still good or not. This decision could end up costing you a pretty penny with a trip to the grocery store.

If you have the Quarter in there with the water you can see how much it melted to help judge how safe your food is.

Does It Work?

Personally, I have never tried this, but a friend has, and even used it during the derecho. The quarter actually sank to the bottom and then the water refroze! But thankfully since the quarter was at the bottom she knew it wasn't safe to eat.

This is anecdotal of course, but other sources back up this idea as well. You can see more here.