Refreeze What Has Been Thawed – You Should Note That

You can refreeze thawed food

Have you defrosted too much-frozen food and don’t want to eat the same thing again the next day? Don’t worry, you don’t have to throw away the groceries. You can freeze most of it again. We have listed here what works well and what few things you should not freeze anymore:

• Dishes and groceries that are suitable for consumption immediately after thawing without having to reheat them are usually suitable for refreezing without any problems. These include, for example, baked goods that have already been baked, bread, ready-made grain, pasta or bean salads, and fruit.
• You can even refreeze frozen food such as pizzas, spring rolls, and the like that have already been thawed or baked. When rewarming, choose lower temperatures and less time.
• Also no problem: sauces, stews, soups or pasta, and pan dishes. In terms of taste and appearance, you usually have to accept small losses in quality.
• If you have defrosted too much meat or fish, you must cook it before freezing again. Raw animal foods can carry a large number of pathogenic germs on and in them, which are at best put into a developmental sleep by the minus temperatures. If they thaw again, they could multiply explosively and in too large numbers. This is dangerous.

Here’s how to refreeze

The shorter the phase of ‘thawing’ food lasts, the better its microbiologically perfect quality and the more sensitive vitamins and – in the case of fruit and vegetables – secondary plant substances are retained.

• You should therefore make sure that you put your thawed food back in the freezer, ideally after two to three hours (meal length plus time for clearing and rinsing).
• You should also choose suitable containers for repeated freezing. It is better to use small containers or cans. Not too much air should be trapped. Vacuum freezer bags, for example, are very suitable for dishes that have a mushy or sauce-like character.
• Food or dishes that are deep-frozen again after thawing or preparation usually look a little less attractive the second time they are prepared. Fruit and vegetables are then usually mushy because cell structures were destroyed during the previous procedures.
• Use your eyes and your sense of smell for all your kitchen work and also for freezing and defrosting: the taste and smell of the food must not be faulty if you are going to put it on the table again.
• Pay attention to hygiene during processing: It is better to only defrost sensitive foods with a high protein content (meat, mushrooms, meat substitutes) at cool temperatures. It is then advisable to discard thawing fluids before refreezing. If it is fruit juice, for example, you can of course also drink it.