5 ways to make sure your food doesn't spoil

Cooktop Cove: 5 ways to make sure your food doesn't spoil

By Cate Misczuk

Generally, there are two things you hope don't happen to your home while you're away on vacation: a burglary or your fridge breaking down. The latter isn't always so easy to spot, either. Sometimes the power goes out, spoiling all your food, only for the refrigerator to turn back on again. But how are you going to know this happened until it's too late, ie: when you reheat spoiled food?

Well, there are actually some really easy tricks you can set up in your freezer to catch any sort of defrosting. They're so simple in fact, you'll wonder why you never thought of it yourself.

It's vacation time, people. So, use these tricks to save yourself from some real stress after what's hopefully a nice, relaxing holiday.

1. The coin-in-jar trick

Materials:
Jar
Water
Coin

Before you leave, fill up a cup or jar with water and freeze it. Then, place a coin on top and go out to the beach, mountains -- wherever you're headed. If your freezer worked while you were gone the coin will be at the top. If it broke down, the coin will be frozen in between the ice somewhere.

2. The ice cream trick

Materials:
Tub of ice cream

Take a container of ice cream (preferably one with a screw on top that won't leak) and turn it on its side. You'll know if the freezer turned off if the ice cream is melted to the bottom side.

3. Prepared for the worst, trick

Materials:
Garbage bag

Have a bad feeling your freezer might konk out while you're away? Stick your frozen items in a trash bag and shove them back in. When you're back you can tell if they've defrosted and frozen again by how they're stuck together. If they have, now you can easily toss them all in the trash without the mess.

4. The ice cube trick

Materials:
Ice cubes
Zip lock bag

Take a few ice cubes and put them in a baggie and place them in the freezer. If the freezer breaks down on you, the ice cubes will all melt together then freeze that way.

5. The popsicle trick

Materials:
Popsicle
Box or jar

Take one of those ice pops and place it on top of something with edges, like a box of spinach or the ice cream container. If you return home and the ice pop is all bent out of shape, you know something went wrong while you were away.

Pretty smart, right? Don't forget to share these tips with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!