Last weekend I thawed out some raw hamburger meat in the fridge, I didnt end up needed it all so I refreezed it. I would like to be able to bbq with it this weekend, but my BIL gave me a look of horror when I told my husband to refreeze it. Do you think its safe?
Boo! I think I will pitch it! Thanks Ladies!
LOL! Thanks Ben!
No. Once you thaw meat out you need to use it or dump it. The reason for this is that meat will grow bacteria that cannot be "cooked away". You're playing a fairly dangerous game with previously frozen/defrosted/refrozen meats.
I've always heard that if you freeze it and thaw it you have to use it. You can, however, cook it and refreeze the cooked meat. We have thawed hamburger meat and not used it, so we brown it, freeze it and use it for tacos or sloppy joes or spaghetti. My dad will make hamburgers and freeze them. But, yes, I've heard it is unsafe to refreeze raw meat.
I hope you haven't thrown it out. Its ok to refreeze it.
I have thawed and refrozen meat for years. I guess the first time was when I was in college 40 years ago. If it had been bad for the food or for me I would have died a long time ago or gotten terribly sick. I have never suffered any ill effects.
If you look closely at meat you buy in the grocery store you often see a small sign that says, "This item has been previously frozen". Its common that meat is frozen, thawed and frozen again.
Of course, if money is no object, throw it away. Add to the land fill. We need to fill them up so we can dig new ones and pay more taxes.
Good luck to you and yours.
As a general rule, if I thaw something I won't refreeze it. What should have happened would have been to brown the meat with just some general seasoning and then freeze it. It would have been fine under those circumstances. As of now it would be questionable, I would toss it and buy some new meat.
Maybe, maybe not. Aside from that, it will probably taste gross. When you thaw and refreeze, there is a huge loss in quality. It will probably be mealy and strange. Most meat arrives in stores frozen and thaw at the store. So the meat will have been thawed three times. It will NOT taste good!
Next time, you can cook it and freeze. I do that all the time, for time savers and quick dinners.
It's probably ok, but you might want to use it in chili or spaghetti sauce when you do get around to using it.
I do it all the time. As long as it didn't go bad while in the fridge before you refroze it, it will be the same as if you had used it. The refreezing has never been a problem for me. I know what "they" say about it but I have done it for years.
No I dont think its safe. I have always been taught once it has been frozen once, unles it is cooked, not to refreeze it.
Your nose will let you know when you re-thaw it. I'm sure it will probably be fine.
Next time cook it like you would for chili or spaghetti and then freeze it. If you cook it first then refreeze it is okay. Also how do you thaw meat. If its in the fridge it's probably safer. If you thaw on the counter it is not safe at all this isn't even safe the first time. I'm a chef with the food safe certification so this information is directly from the health department.
Nope - next time cook it anyway and then you can freeze it again.
Yes, it's safe, but the quality may not be as good.
Not the best idea. It's never a good idea to thaw and refreeze.
I think it will be obvious if it is spoiled, once you thaw it. Be careful!
