Refreezing thawed cooked meals

[zipdoa]

I cooked 40 meals and put them in tupperwares and then put them in the freezer. They sat in the freezer for 24 hours (hopefully enough time to get frozen) and then I accidentally turned off the power bar that my freezer was connected to.

About 36 hours later, I realized the freezer was unplugged and plugged it back in. I checked one of the meals, and there was condensation on the inside of the tupperware container. There was no foul odor from the inside of the container. I had a bag of frozen berries which turned into liquid and leaked a bit into the bottom of the freezer, and also a bag of frozen stir fry veg - I decided to throw both these bags out.

The meals I made in tupperwares were:

Boiled boneless skinless chicken breast with quinoa + brussel sprouts + broccoli

Ground beef with tomato sauce and spaghetti

This is about $250 worth of food... don't really want to throw it out, but don't really want food poisoning either... What's the verdict? Is cooked meat safe to refreeze? I would estimate the meals reached about 6'C. I have a spaghetti meal that I just nuked in the microwave that I will eat as a test. I'm finding conflicting information online - AWARE ME!

[firebane]

I wouldn't eat it.. ugh.

[Kloubek]

If it was me, I wouldn't eat it. But I *hate* leftovers, and demand everything I eat to be as fresh as possible so I'm probably not a good "neutral" person to ask...

36 hours is a long time though. The meals at least partially thawed from the sounds of it, and that sure makes it seems iffy to me.

[schocker]

USDA says:

Refreezing
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. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp
Since you didn't open the freezer it would have likely been around fridge temp
Sounds fine :dunno:

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by schocker
USDA says:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp
Since you didn't open the freezer it would have likely been around fridge temp
Sounds fine :dunno:

k I'm fucking going for it with spaghetti meal #1. I'm too poor to buy another round of groceries just yet. Good link, thanks for the solid info.

[schocker]

Originally posted by zipdoa
k I'm fucking going for it with spaghetti meal #1. I'm too poor to buy another round of groceries just yet. Good link, thanks for the solid info.
np, didn't see this item below, it could also apply

Power Outage in Freezer
If there is a power outage, the freezer fails, or if the freezer door has been left ajar by mistake, the food may still be safe to use if ice crystals remain. If the freezer has failed and a repairman is on the way, or it appears the power will be on soon, don't open the freezer door. If the freezer door was left ajar and the freezer continued to keep the food cold, the food should stay safe.

A freezer full of food will usually keep about 2 days if the door is kept shut; a half-full freezer will last about a day. The freezing compartment in a refrigerator may not keep foods frozen as long. If the freezer is not full, quickly group packages together so they will retain the cold more effectively. Separate meat and poultry items from other foods so if they begin to thaw, their juices won't drip onto other foods.

When the power is off, you may want to put dry ice, block ice, or bags of ice in the freezer or transfer foods to a friend's freezer until power is restored. Use an appliance thermometer to monitor the temperature.

To determine the safety of foods when the power goes on, check their condition and temperature. If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It's not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing. Discard foods that have been warmer than 40 °F for more than 2 hours. Discard any foods that have been contaminated by raw meat juices. Dispose of soft or melted ice cream for quality's sake.

When it is freezing outside and there is snow on the ground, the outdoors seems like a good place to keep food until the power comes on; however, frozen food can thaw if it is exposed to the sun's rays even when the temperature is very cold. Refrigerated food may become too warm and foodborne bacteria could grow. The outside temperature could vary hour by hour and the temperature outside will not protect refrigerated and frozen food. Additionally, perishable items could be exposed to unsanitary conditions or to animals. Animals may harbor bacteria or disease; never consume food that has come in contact with an animal.

Now I am not too sure :rofl:
40F though is like 4C, what fridge is that cold

[zipdoa]

Fuck it!! Although anyone else who wants to input, please do.

[roopi]

Maybe you should let us know your address in case we don't hear from you for a couple days. :D

[zipdoa]

Ya I just pounded a spaghetti dish. God damn that is tasty, like Jamie Oliver himself cooked it. Now we see what happens. I work with a few beyonders... they will notice if I'm absent.

[lil*tymer]

I might be a little weary of the chicken, but everything else should be alright.

Hell out here at work i have a crock pot going, bring it inside when i start my shift and keep it warm all day and put it out to freeze at night. This is my 3rd day doing it and I'm not sick yet.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by lil*tymer
I might be a little weary of the chicken, but everything else should be alright.

Why? If the chicken's already been cooked then there's no more concern for it than any other cooked meat except maybe seafood.


OP: I wouldn't worry too much about it. Assuming the freezer wasn't left open or anything, by the time everything (including the freezer) would've thawed, it would've been close to when your turned it back on anyways. It's not like everything instantly went room temperature as soon as the power went out.

[zipdoa]

Day 2:

The food poisoning has not come at me. I feel I am safe to eat these meals without any concern. Beyonders your input has been invaluable.

[Khyron]

When I go camping, I put frozen cooked and uncooked food in an ice chest which is unplugged for days.

I certainly would have no issues with any of your precooked food at all assuming it wasn't left out at room temps for hours.

MAYBE raw chicken or pork if it actually went soft, but otherwise no issues.

[KRyn]

Pissing out your anus yet? ;)

[sputnik]

A chest freezer is usually good at keeping food frozen for well over 24 hours after being unplugged.

I wouldn't be surprised if the freezer was still below freezing after 36 hours, especially considering the massive amount of frozen solids (i.e. your meals) keeping the freezer cold.

Think of a frozen turkey thawing in the fridge. It takes a good 3-4 days to completely thaw the bird from frozen.

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by KRyn
Pissing out your anus yet? ;)

Poo #1 = Saucier than usual. Probably from the bag of almonds I ate tho.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by zipdoa
Boiled boneless skinless chicken breast with quinoa + brussel sprouts + broccoli


Somewhat off topic.....how does that respond to freezing/reheating? Vegetables specifically, I assume they are cooked.....although I'd think the quinoa would be real mushy too?

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE



Somewhat off topic.....how does that respond to freezing/reheating? Vegetables specifically, I assume they are cooked.....although I'd think the quinoa would be real mushy too?

I don't cook the veg, they cook when I nuke it in the microwave. I used to cook the veg before hand, but it just adds time to the process, saps nutrients and makes em mushy when I reheat.

Quinoa and any pasta I slightly undercook, as it cooks a bit more when it's reheated. A bit of trial and error, but you can nail perfect consistency after a bit of experimentation. First time though my Quinoa and pasta was fucking soft as hell when nuked.