A cup of water and a penny are all you need to know if your power went out and approximately how long.

That can ensure you never eat food that thawed, went bad and refroze!

Simple Freezer Coin Trick

Next time you leave the home for a long period of time, place a cup of water in the freezer overnight. Once the water has frozen over, place a penny on top and pack your bags!

When you come home, check on the cup.

• If the cup is unchanged, the food in your freezer should be fine. The same goes for the food in your refrigerator!

• On the other hand, if the penny is at the bottom of the cup, then the ice (and food) has had the time to completely thaw. This is a sign that you should clear your freezer.

• Lastly, if the penny is the middle of the ice, then your freezer was only out of order for a short period of time. This means that most of the food should still be safe to eat.

Not knowing how long your freezer was without power can pose a huge risk to your health and the health of your loved ones.

This “penny freezer hack” lets you know with certainty whether your power was out for a short, medium and long-term while you are away!

To read up on other vacation and living hacks, check out Daily Health Post.