Why North Dakotans Need To Keep A Quarter In Their Freezers

I'm sure you have a lot healthier food stored in your freezer than I do. Mine is packed with corndogs, pizza rolls, chicken strips, popsicles, and a bunch of pizzas. - I don't always eat like a child, but I've been feeling nostalgic lately. Don't judge.
What if I told you there is one thing every North Dakotan should keep in their refrigerator to avoid some serious stomachaches?

(Also Read: Bismarck's Kirkwood Mall Welcomes New Snack Shop)

Why You Should Keep A Quarter In Your Freezer

Look, I know this sounds really random, but a friend told me this trick, and I thought, let's not gatekeep, let's share it with everyone.

Let’s say you go on a vacation for several days, and while you’re gone, you hear there was severe weather and power outages in your hometown. How do you know if you lost power? How do you know if your food thawed and refroze when it kicked back on?
This is the hack. This is how you know your food is safe to eat.
1. Fill a cup with water and place it in your freezer.
2. Wait for the water to freeze, then place a quarter on top of the ice in the cup
3. Leave the cup and quarter in your freezer.

If you want to be sure you didn't lose power at some point and your food is safe to eat, look at the quarter. If it is at the bottom or even the middle of the cup, that means your freezer shut off, and food defrosted while you were gone.
If you see this, you should probably throw the food in your freezer away because it’s no longer safe to eat. This is a simple way to be safe rather than sorry. Give it a try!