This $2 Cabin Hack Could Save Your Entire Freezer Full of Food
Power flickers are a fact of cabin life. If the electricity cuts out while you’re away, food can thaw, spoil, then quietly refreeze, leaving you none the wiser until the first dubious burger night.
This coin-in-a-cup trick is the low-tech alarm bell you can check at a glance.
How to Set It Up
- Fill a small cup with tap water and freeze it solid.
- Rest a toonie on the ice. Pop the cup back in the freezer door where you’ll see it easily.
- Head off to the city.
Reading the Results
When you get back, take a look at what's happened with your setup:
- 🥶 Toonie still on top: Temperature never climbed above freezing. You’re good.
- 😬 Toonie halfway down: The ice softened, then refroze. Treat high-risk items (meat, seafood, dairy) with suspicion.
- 😱 Toonie at the bottom: The entire contents thawed to liquid at some point. Toss perishables - better safe than sorry.
Ice melts from the top down when the freezer warms. As soon as the surface turns to water, gravity does its thing and the toonie sinks. If power returns and everything refreezes, the coin stays entombed wherever it landed - instant visual history of how warm things got.
How Long Does a Closed Freezer Stay Cold Anyway?
A full chest freezer stays at safe temps for roughly 48 hours (24 hours if half-full).
Quick disclaimer: The coin test is a handy visual cue, not a laboratory thermometer. When in doubt, follow food-safety rules: 4 °C (40 °F) for the fridge, 0 °C (32 °F) or colder for the freezer, and “when in doubt, throw it out.”
Happy (and healthy) cabin living!
