Under modern-day circumstances of hurricanes, rolling blackouts, and natural disasters, one of the last things on the minds of those living in impacted areas may be the status of food in the fridge or freezer.
Amid hurricanes on both the East and West Coast of the U.S. and extreme heat-threatening blackouts, a TikToker has created a video to remind viewers of one fairly easy way to keep track of whether or not food left in the fridge or freezer is safe to eat.
In her video, Florida resident Quinn Gorski (@quinngorski6) shares the quarter hack frequently used by folks evacuating in the event of a hurricane.
“Here’s one of the things we always do before a hurricane,” she says in the video. “You want to take a plastic cup, that way it doesn’t explode, and set it into your freezer. Let the water freeze and once it does, you’re going to set a quarter on top of it. That way, if you lose power and the quarter goes down more than two inches, you know your food is no longer good.”
@quinngorski6 #hurricane #tips #tipsandtricks #hack #hacks #hacksoflife #florida #storm #water #freeze #quarter #besafe #love #cousinquinn #fyp #fypシ #asmr #asmrsounds #foryou ♬ original sound – Quinn Gorski
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gorski via email regarding the video.
Several people shared their alternatives to ensuring their food is safe to eat in the event of a power outage.
“We fill our freezer with water bottles to keep the food cold longer,” one commenter wrote.
“Anyone should have a cooler for immediate things you want to eat up,” another shared. “And second, a generator would run this fridge.”
“We turn on the generator and keep the fridge running,” a further user said.
Some wrote that they kept this trick going in their freezers at all times in the event of a surprise power outage when they are not home.
“We have this set up all the time incase the electric goes out while we’re at work or on a trip,” one commenter wrote.
“I do this for everyday as well just incase my power goes out while I’m at work or on vacation,” another commented.
