Unsure if your freezer is at the correct temperature? Worried about power outages during the upcoming storm season? Going on holiday and want to be sure the power's been on the whole time?
There's an easy way to check if the food in your freezer is still safe to eat. Simply fill a cup with water and place it on a freezer shelf to allow it to freeze. Once frozen, place a coin on top.
When you open your freezer, check where the coin is in the cup. If it's still on top of the ice then your food is fine to eat.
If the coin has sank to the bottom of the cup or moved from where you placed it originally, it means that the ice in the cup has melted at some point (which takes a long time to happen in a modern freezer even during a power outage) and so you should throw out the food in the freezer as it may no longer be safe to eat.
One thing to bear in mind is that this trick isn't always foolproof if the ice only partially melted at the bottom of the container and then refroze again - although most people trying this out for themselves have found that the coin moved somewhat even with minimal melting.
If unsure, always remember the golden rule of food safety - "If in doubt, throw it out!"
