Is it OK to thaw out frozen chicken, beef and/or pork for 3 or 4 days then refreeze it to thaw and eat later?

Question

We had several items from our freezer that we put into a cooler to move someplace almost 2000 miles away. It did thaw out but we have refrozen it and hope we can thaw them later and eat them. Will they be safe to eat?

Answer 1

There are two concerns with refreezing meat. The first is safety. If the meat has thawed in a refrigerator, then it’s okay to refreeze. In terms of other methods, make sure it doesn’t sit in the “danger zone”—40°F–140°F (4°C–60°C)—for more than two hours. And if it’s been thawed by other methods, cook it before refreezing. This is the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s position. If you do refreeze, the sooner you do it, the better.

The second concern is about the meat’s quality. When you think of how meat fibers change on a cellular level, freezing not only affects the solids in meat cells but also turns the liquid within the cells into frozen crystals. As you can imagine, these sharp, angular crystals can shear a delicate cell wall rather quickly. Then as the meat thaws, the contents of the cells seep out, creating that familiar puddle of juices. This leaves the thawed meat fibers more prone to drying out as they cook.

Freezing food as fast as possible minimizes the loss of liquid, because when ice crystals form quickly, they remain very tiny. If the process of freezing and thawing is repeated, however, greater moisture losses occur and the quality of the meat lessens.

Answer 2

It depends on how completely it thawed. If they were still frozen in the center they may be okay, though their shelf life has been reduced and so they should be eaten soon. If they were completely thawed, and if they ever reached temps above about 35 degrees, then toss them out.

No matter what, make sure you cook them completely when you do use them, just to be safe.

Answer 3

You need to read all of Acts 10 I don't see Peter chowing on a ham sandwich anywhere in the text nor do I see him ordering out for pepperoni pizza. What I do see is him pondering "WHAT DOES THE VISION MEAN!" and coming to the conclusion after meeting the Gentiles sent to fetch him "God has shown me I should call no man common or unclean" The passage has nothing to do with food. But then mostly.... people like you who cherry pick your verses aren't interested in the truth just in justifying your own sins.

Answer 4

You really shouldn't refreeze meat, after 3-4 days without being cooked after being frozen it needs to be cooked or bacteria can start to form. The best thing to do is cook it and then freeze it to be used later.

Answer 5

Chicken isn't a meat that you want to mess around with. You may want to smell it first and check for discoloration. If you can't tell by smelling before cooking start cooking it and if it gives off a bad smell then do not eat it. Just to be safe and buy new meats.

Answer 6

it should be ok but make sure you cook it to the proper temp before serving. if it smells or looks funny dont eat it. it depends how long it was thawed too. if it was still partially frozen it might be ok.

Answer 7

No...it is not ok...and anyone who is telling you it is should have their ability to post on this site revoked.

Meat of any kind can only be thawed out once then cooked.

Answer 8

I wouldn't do it. I've always been told never to eat anything that has been refrozen after being defrosted, especially for that length of time.

Answer 9

IF IT THAWED, NO. DO NOT DO THIS. THROW OUT THE MEAT IT IS NOT WORTH IT TO GET FOOD-SICKNESS.

If it stayed frozen, fine.

Answer 10

No, it's too long . You can get seriously ill from any of it .Even if there is no smell it could be tainted . The price is not worth it to have a deadly E.coli infection . Please toss it out and learn the lesson even if it costs you a few bucks.
Be safe .