How to find out if your fridge is working properly
Do you ever get the feeling that your refrigerator is about to kick the bucket? You open the freezer and find suspicious puddles of water or you notice that the frozen vegetables come out as a soggy clump. These are pretty clear signs that your fridge isn't working properly.
To find out if your freezer is not running consistently and letting food thaw out and then freeze again, you can use this handy trick. Simply fill a glass with water and freeze it. Then put a coin on top of the ice. Now put it back in the freezer.
If the fridge stops working temporarily, the water will start to melt and the coin will sink. The longer the freezer stops working, the deeper the coin will sink. If the fridge is not completely broken and the freezer kicks back on, the water in the glass will freeze again suspending the coin in the middle of the ice. This is clear evidence that your fridge is falling asleep on the job and that it's time to have it repaired.
This simple yet effective trick can also be useful when you are away from home for a long time. When you get home, the coin will let you know if your food has thawed out while you were gone and will help you to avoid any nasty cases of food poisoning. And it can also let you know when it's time to get a new fridge.