How to Safely Refreeze Food

Refreezing previously frozen, thawed foods is dangerous, right?

Not necessarily, though summer foods can be especially challenging and warm weather requires special caution. Many local extension services, including the one at The University of Minnesota, offer good advice on keeping food safe and safely refreezing foods that have thawed. Some information provided here is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and various extension services.

Whether food thaws as a result of a power outage, delayed return home from a shopping trip or a change of mind about what to prepare for dinner, it's critical to inspect the food carefully and know some guidelines to protect family health and safety.

Some Foods Can Be Refrozen Safely

Fruits and vegetables can usually be refrozen, as long as they look and smell good. Of course, they'll often change texture when thawed or partially thawed - best idea might be to use them for tonight's dinner in a soup or stew. A foul smell or extreme change of color indicates a need to throw the item out.

With other foods, especially meats or fish, the key is the temperature at which they were held while thawing and how long it's been since they thawed. Any food that feels slimy has to hit the trash or become compost.

Refrigeration and nutrition experts say perishable foods, like meats, dairy, poultry, fish or salads containing mayonnaise, for example, are only safe when they are maintained at temperatures between 33 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit, a short range above the freezing point of water.

If perishables, thawed in a refrigerator in this temp range, look and smell appealing, it's probably safe to refreeze them, according to UM Extension Service publications and the FDA. Like most foods, if meat has ice crystals in it, and was not contaminated before freezing, refreezing it is a pretty good bet.

Meat that doesn't meet these criteria, but looks and smells good, can be thoroughly cooked, well done, and then frozen.

Summer Food Hazards

During the summer, media outlets constantly remind outdoor dining enthusiasts that certain foods just don't get along well with hot, sunny weather. Picnic and beach foods, or those prepared at backyard meal venues like barbeques and summer kitchens, can spoil as the food temperatures quickly move from the safety zones.

Note: Many cooks opt for vinegar-based dressings to replace mayonnaise for summer salads and sandwiches. Citrus is a nice base for dessert sauces when eggs are not appropriate.

In any case, it's 33-40 F to safely hold perishable cold eats and 140 F and over for perishable hot foods. The danger zone for foods, says Health.gov, is between 40°F and 140°F, wherein bacteria grow most rapidly. It is recommended that perishable foods of any temperature not be held at the serving site more than two hours.

Won't Germs Die in the Freezer?

The Federal Food & Drug Administration has long maintained that,

"Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes -- bacteria, yeasts and molds - - present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to food borne illness. Since they will then grow at about the same rate as microorganisms on fresh food, you must handle thawed items as you would any perishable food. Thorough cooking will destroy all parasites."

There are more food safety tips for families on the FDA Web siteand Suite101's How to Freeze Food and Save Money is packed with helpful tips.

Freeze food carefully

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