“The One Cup Tip” for those traveling for the holiday

The three main elements are a coin, a cup of water, and a freezer.
What do those three have in common you might ask? Well, during times of evacuations, it is uncertain whether your electricity, amongst other things, will still be intact. It is also unclear, based on the circumstances, how long you will have to be evacuated from your home. Ideally, most people will have an evacuation kit, filled with first-aid kits and imperishable foods amongst other things. But what about your refrigerated and frozen goods? What is to become of those, and how will you be able to tell if they are still safe to eat once you return to your home?

Directions:
1.    Place a cup of water in your freezer.
2.    Freeze the water until it is solid, and then put a quarter on top of the frozen water and return it to your freezer.
3.    Leave it in your freezer.



What does this tip accomplish?
It helps you determine whether or not your food has gone bad, or whether it refroze or stayed frozen while you were away.
For instance, if you return after you have been evacuated and find that the frozen water has melted and the quarter has fallen to the bottom of the cup, you now know that all the food has defrosted and it should be thrown out. However, if the quarter is either on the top of the frozen cup or in the middle of the cup, then your food may still be okay. The top tells you that the freezer was still in tact the whole time – the middle tells you that your food might have defrosted, but later refrosted when electricity returned. This tip is also useful beyond evacuation notices. For example, if you leave the cup in your freezer at all times and your power spontaneously goes out, you will have this neat tip to rely on.

Tip shared by Ms. Sheila Pulanco Russell from Lumberton, North Carolina.