If the food reaches danger zone temperatures (40F to 140F), the bacteria can become harmful, increasing the risk of foodborne illnesses upon consumption of the refrozen food.
Thawing and refreezing food can pose a health risk due to the potential growth of bacteria in defrosted items.
Each cycle of thawing can lead to an increase in bacterial count, especially if the food enters the “danger zone” temperatures between 40F and 140F, which can result in harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses when consumed after being refrozen.
This issue might arise from not shutting your freezer door correctly or during a power cut, which could go unnoticed. Hence, one woman has shared a clever hack to ensure her frozen goods remain safe for consumption.
Daivi, a Desi jewellery designer from Kaju Studios, typically shares content about her jewellery creations online. However, she gained internet fame with a viral tip involving a frozen shot glass in her freezer, leaving her friends puzzled.
The American social media star demonstrated the trick in a video, showing a glass with water frozen inside and a coin resting on top. Despite its strange appearance, she claims it’s an effective method to determine the safety of her frozen food.
In the clip, which has amassed over 287,000 likes, Daivi said: “People come to my apartment and they’re really confused about this right here. That is a shot glass with frozen water and a quarter in it, but it’s actually a really good life hack.”
She continued, explaining the purpose of the setup: “You basically freeze some water in a glass or bowl or whatever and place a quarter on top. It’s to check if the contents of your freezer ever thought and refreeze.”
“In the case of a power outage, if at any point that quarter falls within the water and refreezes, you know that at one point your freezer was warm enough for everything to thaw, hence the food is not safe to eat.”
TikTok users were left stunned by the clip as they praised the ‘genius’ hack. One user said: “This is actually genius, thank you,” while a second wrote: “Great pro tip!”
Another added: “Yes. I have been doing this for years. Ä°ce cubes in a container work too. If ice cubes melted and mushed in together. Throw everything.” However, a fourth commented: “As long as the freezer’s cold when I open it we’re eating.”
