Do you travel a lot? Although it's not easy to travel in times of COVID, some people still don't want to miss out on a quick getaway experience. So, if you're going to be away for a long time, make sure you empty your freezer and remove the excess ice beforehand so that you don't get a nasty surprise later.
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Challenges of the freezer
The most frequent cause of bad experiences with the freezer are power cuts. This means that the icebox no longer cools, and therefore the food is no longer preserved as usual.
Once the freezing is interrupted, the food must be used up immediately. But, when we go on our travel tours, we can't keep a tab on the power cuts. If there has been a prolonged power cut, eating the preserved food can even be life-threatening.
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Coin trick
At what point does it become dangerous to our health, and how do we even notice such a power cut?
Well, there is a simple trick you can use to find out whether the cold chain has been interrupted for a longer period of time in your absence, for example by a power cut. All you need for this trick is a glass and a coin.
- Before you leave, fill the glass with water and put it in your freezer. As soon as the water has frozen (after about four to five hours), place the coin on top. Now put the jar back in the freezer.
- If the coin is still in the same place when you return, there have been no undesirable events in your absence. But, if the coin has gone down by about a quarter, there was a brief interruption in the cold chain.
- However, if the coin is at the bottom of the jar, then you can be sure that the cold chain has been interrupted for a longer period in your absence. In this case, you should dispose of the food off immediately.
