I bought a pork loin that I was gonna make and put it in the freezer. I thawed it out and was gonna make it but didn't have the time so I refroze it. Is it still good to use or should I get rid of it. It is in the original vacume sealed plastic.
2006-12-18 06:59:06 · 5 answers · asked by david r 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
It really depends on how long it sat out. If you defrosted it just by letting it sit out for several hours, then I think I would get rid of it. Even vacuum sealed plastic doesn't prevent microbes that may have already been present from growing once it is warm. Even if you thawed it in the fridge, Listeria can grow. However, if you microwaved or somehow quick-thawed it and let it sit only an hour or so, it should still be good. About 4 hours is considered the threshold for bacterial growth to be dangerous. Having said all of that, if you thoroughly cook it, it won't matter.
2006-12-18 07:09:44 · answer #1 · answered by btpage0630 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not very good for the meat, and will likely result in a dryer finished product, but it is not likely to harm you. Freezing expands water in the cells of the meat, which can burst cell walls. When it thaws, this liquid runs out, and results in a dryer product. Repeating this can aggravate the process. I'd suggest you brine the meat when you finally get around to using it. (always a great idea with pork anyway).
2006-12-18 07:08:50 · answer #2 · answered by Micromegas 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you've defrosted the meat completely, then it's probably best to toss it than refreeze it. It seems whether a certain food is safe to freeze, thaw, than refreeze depends on what it is, and whether it still has ice crystals when you refreeze.
See http://experts.about.com/q/Food-Safety-Issues-767/refreezing.htm for more info.
2006-12-18 10:59:37 · answer #3 · answered by pam 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since it's in the original plastic, and ASSUMING you didn't keep it in yoru fridge for weeks, yes, it's probably ok.
Next time, cook it, THEN freeze the cooked product.
2006-12-18 07:02:17 · answer #4 · answered by Sugar Pie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would discard it, any meat that has been unthawed completly should be cooked when unthawed its unsafe to cook it now, you would risk getting food poison.
2006-12-18 07:03:05 · answer #5 · answered by yula d 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋