My grandpa swore by putting a penny in the freezer before grocery shopping

He told me to freeze a penny on top of a cup of water, and if it ever sank below the ice I'd know my freezer failed while I was gone. Had a power outage last summer and that little trick saved me from eating spoiled chicken.

2 comments

2 Comments

gonzalez.grant10d ago

Actually that's not quite how it works. The ice will melt and refreeze around the penny if it thaws out, so you can't see where it sank.

tyler_fox4110d ago

Huh, so you're saying the penny just gets stuck in a cycle of melting and freezing without ever actually sinking deeper? That's interesting, but what about if the weather stays warm for a few days straight? Like a real thaw, not just a little midday melt. Wouldn't the water level rise enough to shift the penny down a bit before it refreezes again? I guess I'm wondering how long a thaw has to last before the penny actually loses its spot.