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Refreezing Thawed Meat


Silver Post Medal for All Time! 254 Posts
March 11, 2019

Thawing Meat in a tray.Generally, refreezing thawed meat is not recommended. This is because the quality of the meat will be reduced in this process. Also, if the meat was not thawed in the fridge, there is a strong likelihood that bacteria has started to grow on the meat.

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  • Food Safety - According to the USDA, as long as the meat has been thawed in the fridge, the meat can be refrozen. If it was thawed on the counter, the meat is not considered safe to refreeze.
  • Food Quality - When meat is refrozen not only is there moisture loss, that contributes to dry and tough meat, but each refreeze actually changes the structure of the proteins. In this article from Cooks Illustrated we learn that when we freeze the water inside of the protein cells, soluble salts are released which causes some of the proteins to shorten, causing tougher meat.
  • It is best practice to cook the thawed meat, then freeze it.

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10 Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

January 21, 2010

My daughter partially thawed some loose pork sausage in the microwave and could not finish thawing it so she put it back in the freezer. Is it still ok to re-thaw this in the microwave and then cook it to eat?

By Harley chick from Lewistown, PA

Answers

January 21, 20100 found this helpful

No! Once you partially un-thaw it, you need to cook it, then you can refreeze. Partially thawing in a microwave "wakes up" bacteria which can multiply if you don't finish cooking it.

 
January 21, 20100 found this helpful

My parents were very food conscious. The rule of thumb was: if it thaws out completely, you need to cook it or throw it away. If it was partially thawed & still very cold, you could refreeze it. I am 57 & I've followed these rules & never gotten sick.

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If you are worried, marinade it. Marinade is kind of preserving it & keep it in the fridg till you are ready to cook it. When marinating, it can take days to do it.

 
January 21, 20100 found this helpful

Check out the website stilltasty.com it shares a lot about how long to keep foods frozen and refrigerated etc.

 
January 21, 20100 found this helpful

We butcher our own beef. I have always refroze our meat if it was just partially thawed and still partially frozen. I have never had any health problems from doing this.

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I've never cooked it first and then froze it. I think you'll do fine freezing it again as long as it's not completely thawed.

 
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January 21, 2010

I went to the store this morning and I bought some Italian sausage and they were almost frozen. Luckily I was going to use it today, but my concern is I always thought that you couldn't refreeze meat. I just wonder how many times other meats in the case are frozen? Can you refreeze store bought meat or not?

 
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March 30, 2010

Can I freeze raw meat, let it thaw and then refreeze the raw hamburger meat?

By Dannielle from Wichita, KS

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Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 186 Feedbacks
March 30, 20100 found this helpful

I have always heard that it is unsafe to refreeze completely thawed raw meat. If it is only part way thawed, it is supposed to be OK to refreeze.

 

Bronze Feedback Medal for All Time! 135 Feedbacks
April 1, 20100 found this helpful

Check this link: stilltasty.com/.../page:1

It's a great site to bookmark for all kinds of food safety questions; this says that if the meat has been thawed in the fridge and it's been two days or under since the thaw--it can be safely refrozen.

 

Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 450 Feedbacks
April 1, 20100 found this helpful

Actually to be on the safe side do not do it. You can cook the thawed hamburger then freeze it. There is always the possibility that you might refreeze the hamburger then refreeze it then forget you have refrozen it then refreeze it again.

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Freezing meat does not kill bacteria. it only slows the growth. Just don't do it.

 
April 1, 20100 found this helpful

Don't do it - cook it thoroughly, then refreezing it will be safe. You might get away with refreezing partially thawed meat as stated in the prior feedback - but only solid cuts of meat, chops or roasts or steaks, not chopped meat.
One of my friends ate chicken livers that had been thawed and refrozen (inadvertent on her part, the market had not labeled the chicken as previously frozen) - she became so violently ill she was taken to the emergency room in an ambulance - couldn't even walk to her car!

 
April 11, 20100 found this helpful

According to the USDA any meat can be re-frozen if it has been thawed out in the refrigerator. If you used the microwave or cold water then it has to be cooked before it can be re frozen.

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I have done this many times with no problems. But I will not re-freeze something that I did not thaw out in the fridge.

 
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September 27, 2010

Can I refreeze uncooked pork chops?

By Geri Turek from St. Louis, MO

Answers

September 27, 20100 found this helpful

I would not do it; I would cook them, then freeze them. (You can use the thawed, cooked pork in casseroles, stir-fry, etc.).

 

Silver Feedback Medal for All Time! 450 Feedbacks
September 29, 20100 found this helpful

No. Never refreeze meat. If you are not going to use it, cook it then freeze it.

 
November 15, 20220 found this helpful

Can i get any points Mary ? Hurling Beets at the kitchen table, opps, think it was Pizza

 
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December 26, 2010

Can I refreeze Cornish hens?

By kyle smith from Philadelphia, PA

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Gold Post Medal for All Time! 846 Posts
January 3, 20110 found this helpful

You need to cook them before refreezing to be safe and I wouldn't bother even doing that if they've been thawed for more than three days for safety sake.

 
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March 22, 2016

Food safety is an important concern when deciding to refreeze previously frozen meats. This is a page about refreezing frozen hamburger.

Frozen hamburger in packaging against white background

September 27, 2010

Can you re-freeze thawed sausages?

 
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May 24, 2010

Can you refreeze raw beef once it has been defrosted? Will it be safe to eat?

 
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February 27, 2010

Can I refreeze meat?

 
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