defrosting/refreezing meat

elf123

Mon, Nov 10 2008, 11:12 pm

I froze some ground beef and want to defrost it and make a big pot of meatballs and freeze some of them. It just occurred to me that maybe it's not okay to defrost and refreeze it, even if it's cooked. I checked online and all but one site seemed to say it's okay...any expert opinions here?

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 6:31 am

I do that all the time, with no problem. I cook the meatballs and freeze them with tomato sauce/gravy. But with chopped meat, make sure you cook it as quickly as it's defrosted. I heard somewhere that chopped meat spoils quicker than regular cuts of meat.

BennysMommy

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 6:37 am

Once it's cooked you can definitely refreeze it.

shoy18

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 8:36 am

you cant refreeze raw meat, but freezing already cooked meat that was previously frozen is perfectly fine.

greenfire

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 8:40 am

ditto to above - you cannot refreeze it raw ... but cooked for surely ...

while you're in the freezer - can you check if there's ice cream ... Mr. Green

yo'ma

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 8:42 am

shoy18 wrote:

you cant refreeze raw meat, but freezing already cooked meat that was previously frozen is perfectly fine.

I know that you shouldn't, but why?

drumjj

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 8:45 am

bacterias that can develop during the freezing and defrosting process

elf123

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 10:29 am

greenfire wrote:

ditto to above - you cannot refreeze it raw ... but cooked for surely ...

while you're in the freezer - can you check if there's ice cream ... Mr. Green

Greenie, I'll get the spoons out...just let me know when you'll be here...don't want it to melt...

goodheart

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 10:43 am

as long as its cooked it ok

Fabulous

Tue, Nov 11 2008, 10:44 am

elf123 wrote:

greenfire wrote:

ditto to above - you cannot refreeze it raw ... but cooked for surely ...

while you're in the freezer - can you check if there's ice cream ... Mr. Green

Greenie, I'll get the spoons out...just let me know when you'll be here...don't want it to melt...

Make sure it's pareve, unless you just cooked the meatballs to freeze, and not to eat from as well.

Mrs. Sunshine

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 8:10 pm

can u defrost chopped meat, make a burger mixture, shape it, & put it back in the freezer?

Rodent

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 8:22 pm

General rule is freeze once when raw and once when cooked. Mrs. Sunshine, if you cook them yes but if you put them back in raw then no.

chocolate moose

Mon, Aug 09 2010, 8:32 pm

Not anymore. Standards have changed. Was the meat kept really cold ?

Mrs. Sunshine

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 11:03 am

when I was forming the burgers it was room temp but aftrwrds I left them in the fridge

shanie5

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 10:33 pm

I very recently read that if you defrost in the fridge, u can refreeze raw. If defrosted out on the counter or in microwave, cook before refreezing.

mindyme

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 11:10 pm

shanie5 wrote:

I very recently read that if you defrost in the fridge, u can refreeze raw. If defrosted out on the counter or in microwave, cook before refreezing.

Yes, I heard this too. If it is still quite cold, or even better, still frozen in the centre, ok to refreeze. However, it may not taste as good, since some moisture is lost during the freeze/thaw/freeze/thaw, so it's best to cook it in a sauce.

Chana Miriam S

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 11:55 pm

as a cooking professional, my public health inspector explained it to me as follows:

if your item has NO part that is stored above 4 degrees celcius, then it is safe to refreeze. The basic problem is for example, if you thaw something on the counter, the outer parts can be in the 'danger zone' where bacteria doubles every twenty minutes. The actual problem is not in the bacteria itself, that can be killed or arrested in growth either by freezing or cooking (once the temp is below 4 C again) or above 60C or so. The problem is the toxins that the bacteria create which do not go away even once bacterial growth is arrested.

Thus, it is true that if something is thawed in the fridge, or under cold running water, it can be refrozen again without cooking as long as you KNOW it was not above 4C. This also applies to cooked food, which should not be left at room temperature for too long for the same reasons.

In addition, the danger is compounded by unsafe handling, for example with cross contamination or dirty hands- touching faces and clothing tend to be the most dangerous actions we can take in the kitchen. We need to be washing our hands every time we change tasks, or touch our hair, face or clothing. Even for a second. with soap and warm to hot water.