If you're traveling, or need to leave your home when evacuated, place several ice cubes on a small plate and place them in the middle of your freezer. If you come home, and they are melted, immediately suspect that the food in your refrigerator may be bad.
If they are still in cube forms, the freezer stayed cold enough while you were gone. Of course, flashing digital clocks are a great way to tell you lost power. However, you usually can't tell for how long. Over time, the cubes may sublimate (evaporate) so keep that in mind too.
By Brian from Litchfield, NH
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When you are going to be away from home for several days, it's a good idea to put a couple of ice cubes in a sandwich bag into your freezer. When you return, you can quickly determine if there has been a power outage during that time by seeing if you still have ice cubes that have retained their form.
By Sandy from Elon, NC
Great tip, thanks! (01/23/2010)
By Caseye
