Can frozen meat that's been thawed out be frozen again?

Question

It's a piece of pork tenderloin that's been in the fridge since Monday. I haven't had a chance to make it yet, and looks like tonight I'll be gone again. Is it safe to put back in the freezer?

Answer 1

Only if you cook it, you cannot refreeze raw meat. But once it is cooked it can be frozen. It might already be past it's freshness, when you open it & it feels slimy or has any discoloration, it should be thrown away. If it is still good when you get home tonight just put it in the crockpot with a can of pears in it's own juice and a 1/2 cup of port wine, some cracked corriander & a bay leaf. Let is simmer over night & you will have a yummy lunch tomorrow.

Answer 2

7. Thawing frozen foods
There are three safe ways to thaw frozen food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Leaving food on a counter or thawing in hot water will cause food to be in the Danger Zone.
Refrigerator thawing can take a long time, but it is the safest method. Plan ahead, as large food items, such as a turkey, may take 24 hours for every 5 pounds. For smaller items, such as chicken breasts, put in the refrigerator in the morning for dinner that evening. Foods that are thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen safely, with some loss in aesthetic quality.
Cold-water thawing is faster, but can be more complicated. Meat should be wrapped in a leak-proof bag or else it will absorb the water. Keep water cold by changing it every 30 minutes. A bag of chicken breasts that weighs under a pound will defrost in less than an hour, and a large turkey takes 2 to 3 hours for every 5 pounds. Foods thawed in cold water must be cooked before refreezing.
If food is thawed with a microwave, it must be cooked immediately following the thawing. During this process, some of the surface areas might start cooking and are in the danger zone. For this reason, we don't recommend microwave defrosting. Foods thawed in the microwave must be cooked before refreezing.

Answer 3

What people seem to forget (even supposed culinary students) is that the key to avoid getting sick with food is TEMPERATURE.

40 degrees Fahrenheit to 145 degrees Fahrenheit is the "Danger Zone" in which bacteria grow most plentifully. As long as whatever piece of meat you are cooking is cooked to a temperature exceeding 146 degrees Fahrenheit the bacteria will die an have no chance of infecting your body. That answers the Health Portion of your question.

Now, as for taste, every time you freeze any kind of meat you automatically make it taste less flavorful. In the case of meat that has been frozen, thawed, and then frozen again... well, it's just not going to taste very good. HOWEVER, as long as you cook it to a temperature that exceeds 146 degrees you WILL NOT be in danger of illness.

Answer 4

i was always told you couldn't,but i know for a fact our local super Walmart gets it's meat frozen thaws it and sells it to the public(i have a good friend that works in the meat department),i am assuming that people buy it and refreeze it,i have even gotten desperate and bought meat at Walmart and it was partially frozen
But being a culinary student at one time i was told in no uncertain terms does a person EVER refreeze meat,so go with the majority here and don't refreeze it better safe than sorry

Answer 5

My mom just told me last night when I was wondering the same about some ground beef-- She said you should not refreeze meat. So I made a meatloaf and I'll eat it tonight and tomorrow.
You could cook up the pork and put it in the fridge and eat it tomorrow!
Have a great day!!!

Answer 6

Yes, you can refreeze, the old adage has changed. Just make sure the meat never got warm. If it was still partly cool, frozen or thawed in frig it's ok to refreeze. make sure it didnt get contaminated by touching other foods. If you can buy a food sealer, I got mine at WalMart and they save you tons of money by locking out freezer burn!!!

Answer 7

Meat could be refrozen uncooked on condition that it truly is been thawed contained in the refrigerator and saved there for an afternoon or much less. to confirm that this meat is eaten immediately, be conscious on the kit that it has thawed and place it contained in the coldest component of the freezer. you will desire to devour refrozen uncooked meat interior 2 to 3 months. in case you have thawed your meat utilising a microwave or by potential of working water over it, do no longer refreeze it, quite if it has reached room temperature. whether, you may cook dinner thawed meat and refreeze it in a cooked form. Frozen foodstuff maintains to be extra healthy for human intake for months contained in the freezer, yet as quickly as foodstuff thaws, the clock that measures its suitable for eating section starts off to tick. whether you have thawed foodstuff proper contained in the microwave, refrigerator or a chilly water bathtub, refreezing it truly is going to degrade its high quality. in case you have thawed uncovered foodstuff at room temperature -- an risky prepare -- your foodstuff ought to develop right into a house for dissimilar pathogens that reason foodstuff-borne ailment. greater risk of Bacterial an infection finding on your thawing technique, refreezing thawed foodstuff ought to create an possibility for microbial an infection. at an identical time as risk-free thawing procedures that ensue outdoors of what the U.S. branch of Agriculture calls the "possibility zone" -- between 40 and a hundred and forty levels Fahrenheit -- do no longer frequently provide bacterial an infection of project to take place, there is often conceivable that an element of the foodstuff ought to attain that possibility zone even with your care. The window for an infection may be small, yet microbes will make the main of even a small possibility. once you later freeze the thawed foodstuff, you apart from would freeze the microorganisms interior it, giving them of project to enhance unchecked the subsequent time you thaw the foodstuff. i could cook dinner meat quickly and throw out the ice cream.

Answer 8

I always thought that was ok, but then I had a culinary student as a roommate. She saw me re-freezing thawed meat and she freaked out! You're really not supposed to do it because of bacteria and things like that, so I would try to make it as soon as possible :)

Answer 9

If it was thawed in the refrigerator and kept in (preferably air-tight) packaging, then it is low risk to re-freeze for later consumption. On the other hand, if it was thawed at room temp and removed from packaging, then fuhgeddaboudit!

Answer 10

No throw it away. it's probebly spoiled by now. if you thaw meat in the fridge you should cook it within 2 days.