Why Every Idahoan Should Put a Quarter in Their Freezer

Here in Idaho, we're pretty lucky to not see many natural disasters.  To that note, we rarely see very many serious storms, either.  No matter how crazy the year 2020 was, even that earthquake we all felt across the Treasure Valley wasn't enough to cause any real harm.  We are lucky in that regard. If you have friends or family elsewhere in the nation, perhaps you've talked to them when they're preparing for one of these disasters-- a tornado, a flood, or a hurricane.  Lucky for us, we really don't prepare for those types of things.

Just because natural disasters in Idaho are rare doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared, however.  An intense storm could knock out power for hours on end. Not to be paranoid but all of these cyber hacks happening lately could mess with the power grid, too! So what is one to do when the power goes out?

A quarter in your freezer could come in real clutch, believe it or not.

I came across this lifehack over the weekend and I had no idea it was so popular--outside of Idaho. Maybe it's time we join party?

Bad weather can always bring about a possible power outage--power outages can also just happen on their own. While I've never been out of power here in the Treasure Valley for longer than a few hours, this little trick is awesome.

Here's the trick:

• Put a cup of water into the freezer and make sure it is frozen solid
• Place a quarter on top of the ice and place that back into the freezer

Seem pointless? It really isn't.

If there is a storm and your power is out, everything in your freezer immediately is at risk.  Do you really want your meat and goods in the refrigerator to go bad? If you aren't at home, there's even an extra layer of caution to be had. Don't eat bad food!

The quarter will tell you just how bad the conditions in the freezer and refrigerator were.

Let's just say the ice began to melt-- if the quarter is halfway down into the cup, chances are the food is ok but if it's at the bottom? Odds are you should just toss out that food.  In a perfect world that quarter will always remain on top of the ice!