Is refreezing a meal safe?
I know there have been questions on refreezing meat, which apparently is not safe to do. My understanding from those posts was that it was referring to raw meat. My question is slightly different.
I made a casserole with pasta, cheese, cooked ground turkey, and some veggies a few weeks ago. I had the leftovers in the fridge for about a day or 2 and then froze the leftovers. First, was it okay to freeze it at that point?
Second, I put the casserole in the fridge to thaw yesterday, but ended up having something else to eat for dinner. Based on other plans, I won't be able to eat it for another 2 days. I am not sure if t will be safe in the fridge for that long. If won't be safe for that long, would it be safe to refreeze?
Best Answer
Freezing ... well, basically freezes the growth of bacteria inside your food. Thus, if you heat it up quick enough later, it will not have significantly more bacteria or mold (spores) and related poisons than in the moment it got to the save temperature (remember that this moment is not exacly at the point you put it in the freezer but later.) If you would eat it tomorrow though than you can as well freeze it today, as long as you make sure you don't keep it for days after defrosting again.
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Quick Answer about "Is refreezing a meal safe?"
The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises: Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods.Is it safe to eat food that has been refrozen?
Refreezing food is not dangerous, the danger is that food can spoil before it's refrozen or after it's thawed again but before being cooked and eaten. Freezing food does not kill bacteria, so once thawed bacteria continues to multiple at the same exponential rate it was multiplying at before being frozen.Can you freeze a meal twice?
The answer is yes. But pay attention to the way you thaw and, conversely, the way you freeze. Most foods previously frozen, thawed and then cooked can be refrozen as long as they have not been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours.How many times can you refreeze a meal?
According to senior food editor Rick Martinez and Robert Ramsey, chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, you can refreeze and re-thaw food\u2014but just because you can doesn't mean you should. At ICE, Ramsey and his colleagues have a blanket rule: "If something's been frozen once, that's it."Can you refreeze cooked food twice?
Yes, it is safe to refreeze any food remaining after reheating previously frozen leftovers to the safe temperature of 165 \xb0F as measured with a food thermometer.Is it safe to refreeze thawed foods
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Answer 2
In between freezings it is wisest to cook it. So if you take out raw meat, and then cook it, you can freeze it again. If you take out cooked stuff, you should get it piping hot throughout, cool it quickly, and then freeze it again. It may not have a super pleasant texture - if you don't ave an emotional attachment to it, you might want to just toss it.
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