Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 10507 Location: cambridge
Posted: Mon May 30, 05 4:43 pm Post subject: Refreezing meat
On Friday we had a delivery of 1/2 a pig between myself and cab, this was about 25kgs o meat mostly in joints.
Not really thinking I froze all the joints whole and while I have sinced tried to cut them up frozen we have no tools up for the job
I know I could cut up a whole piece casserole or curry it then refreeze it but most of our cokking tends to be quick stir fries or pasta sauces so I was wondering if people thought this would be okay
Defrost a joint, cut up into stir fry pieces flour and season and quickly fry off (The velveting stage of some chinese stri fries) Then refreeze for use at a later stage in a quick cook dish of some kind?
Would this leave me open to the possibility of food poisoning?
sean Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 42208 Location: North Devon
Posted: Mon May 30, 05 5:52 pm Post subject:
Are you talking about thin slices, so effectively cooked through? If so you should be o.k.. IIRC the rule is that stuff can be refrozen twice, but must be cooked between each freezing.
Alison is your woman on this sort of thing.
alison Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 12918 Location: North Devon
Posted: Mon May 30, 05 6:54 pm Post subject:
Sean you are right. You should only refreeze if you have changed the state from raw to cooked.
I say should, but I have been known to refreeze, but I certainly wouldn't give it to anyone but myself
I ought to have suggested this the day before; we cut one of ours up the next day before freezing.
Why not simply get a saw, cut a joint apart into manageable chunks while still frozen, and put the smaller (not stir-fryable, but smaller) portions back in? Oughtn't be hard to cur it down wo 4oz chunks.
Cracking pork of you're reading this Farmwoody. Really cracking pork.
bagpuss
Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 10507 Location: cambridge
Posted: Tue May 31, 05 6:28 am Post subject:
We have tried this with the one knife we have which might manage it and we can't do it. To manage it would take hours at the rate we can get through it at which time you have to wonder if you may aswell of defrosted it in the first place
We have tried this with the one knife we have which might manage it and we can't do it. To manage it would take hours at the rate we can get through it at which time you have to wonder if you may aswell of defrosted it in the first place
We have an electric carving knife and a selection of saws (think I've got 5, although I've broken the blade on my big hacksaw and need a new one).
bagpuss
Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 10507 Location: cambridge
Posted: Tue May 31, 05 8:18 am Post subject:
cab wrote:
We have an electric carving knife and a selection of saws (think I've got 5, although I've broken the blade on my big hacksaw and need a new one).
If you can bring the electric carver on wednseday we could have a go I guess
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Tue May 31, 05 9:28 am Post subject:
I never re-freeze unless I've cooked - just one of those things I was taught as a nipper - I don't know why though - I suppose too much time in the 'warm' danger zone, I suppose.
Guest
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 05 11:46 pm Post subject:
I was always taught that you cant re freeze meat unless you cook it however, as far as i can tell it is all about the danger of food poisoning and time spent in the "danger zone" of temps( between 5c and 67c ) and i have often wondered if it were posable to defrost meat in a fridge so the temp doesnt get to high then quickly chop it up and re-freeze it. as far as i can tell the theory is sound but others might be able to say if it is not.
The other thing to consider is the damage to the cells from freezing/defrosting/refreezing, it might ruin some of the quality that you have.
Guest, slow defrosting gives a longer time for certain other microbes that thrive at lower temperature to take over. Not something I'd fancy.
In truth, you'll get away with defrosting and re-freezing quite often, but in doing so you are increasing your risk of food poisoning measuably, so it really, really isn't worth it.
This is something I've been worrying about for a while. We'd like to make and freeze chicken stock, then defrost the stock to make meals for our 9 month old baby. These meals would need to be refrozen into cubes. We've not done it as it means freezing twice. Are we right not to?
bagpuss
Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 10507 Location: cambridge
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 8:39 am Post subject:
Aled for that I think it depends on how you prepare the meals before you freeze them
Would it not be possible to make the stock and the meals at the same time and then freeze that would be fine
Alternatively if the food prep effectively cooks the stock sterilizing it again you may be alright but it might not be one of those things you want to risk with a new born baby
This is something I've been worrying about for a while. We'd like to make and freeze chicken stock, then defrost the stock to make meals for our 9 month old baby. These meals would need to be refrozen into cubes. We've not done it as it means freezing twice. Are we right not to?
I'd personally be cautious with doing that; in principle, if you sterilise the stock at each stage you're fine, but in practice life isn't that simple.
Why not make the stock and baby meals in one session? A pressure cooker will really, really take a lot of the time out of this for you.
wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 15051 Location: East Midlands
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 05 10:56 am Post subject:
Aled wrote:
This is something I've been worrying about for a while. We'd like to make and freeze chicken stock, then defrost the stock to make meals for our 9 month old baby. These meals would need to be refrozen into cubes. We've not done it as it means freezing twice. Are we right not to?
Why not freeze the stock in cubes in the first place? Although I suppose you make the meals in bulk - if you're cooking them throroughly (casseroles and the like) which are boiling for a while, I'd think that would be fine. Untested, though, as I have no kids!
In principle, you're right Wellington. In practice, you have to be confident that the stock you're dealing with hasn't had any bacterial growth in it; repeated re-sterilisation doesn't remove any bacterial toxins that may have accrued in there, despite the fact that it kills bacteria. Stock is of particular concern because it's an idealised medium in which to grow pathogenic bacteria.
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