Can you refreeze pork like every other food?
Over the years, freezing has become one of the most popular ways of storing and preserving foods. However, for some reason, some people have gone a step further by leaving their food to thaw and then refreezing it.
Meat is one of the many food items people often freeze, thaw, and refreeze. Pork lovers can relate to this. Like any other raw meat, the best way to store pork is by freezing it.
Freezing slows down the rate of bacterial action, ruptures the fiber, and preserves the meat. Refreezing is also excellent and could be advantageous. However, it only works for some food products, and for a particular period.
In the case of pork, you shouldn’t refreeze pork. Yes, you’ve been doing it wrong. Once you have taken pork out of your freezer, allowed it to thaw, and taken a portion from it, do not refreeze it.
Want to know why? See five reasons why you should never refreeze pork.
1. Refreezing pork is not a healthy practice
If you are health conscious, you should avoid refreezing your pork; it’s not healthy. Thawing pork out on the counter exposes it to bacterial contamination.
Refreezing this thawed pork is equal to refreezing contaminated meat. Eating this meat puts you at risk of food poisoning.
Unless you are thawing at a favorable temperature like the refrigerator, thawing pork is generally unhealthy.
2. Refreezing makes your pork lose its taste
Freezing, thawing, and refreezing will compromise its flavor and taste. As pork thaws, it loses moisture. Refreezing it will make ice crystals form in the pork, make the meat dry, and alter the flavor.
3. Refreezing pork compromises the texture
Like pork loses taste in the process of melting and refreezing, it also loses texture to the ice crystals. Bacterial growth does not fail to affect all parts of the meat, and that is why if you thaw and refreeze, the meat will not be the same.
4. Refreezing has a limited effect on the action of bacteria
Bacterial action takes place immediately after you place it in the refrigerator. However, as soon as it starts to freeze, the bacteria become powerless as their action becomes limited.
Thawing your pork on a counter after taking it out of the refrigerator empowers the bacteria for growth and multiplication. Bacterial growth will give your meat an unpleasant odor and taste.
5. Refreezing reduces the nutritional value
One of the benefits of eating pork is the nutritional value that comes with it. However, when your pork has undergone a daunting storage process, it soon losses all of the nutritional advantages that you could have gotten from eating it.
This pork could also be dangerous to your health.
Can you refreeze cooked pork?
Yes, you can refreeze cooked pork. You can refreeze boiled, fried, or roasted, pork if you have thawed it properly and hygienically.
But you may not have to refreeze the pork dish if you’ll be needing it in 3 to 5 days.
When to refreeze pork
Although refreezing pork is not advisable, you may do it. In situations when you cannot discard the pork, you should refreeze pork only under the following conditions:
Frozen pork was properly defrosted
You can refreeze your meat if you thawed it in the right environment like the refrigerator, in a microwave, or cold water.
If you have thawed frozen pork through any of the following methods, chances are, it is still good and not contaminated yet. Otherwise, it would be best to dispose of the pork to avoid food poisoning.
Refreeze if ice crystals are present
You may refreeze pork if there are still ice crystals on it and if the meat still feels cold. As long as the meat has not completely come to room temperature, it is safe to refreeze it.
Refreeze pork if it has not been out for long
If your pork has not been out on the counter for up to or more than an hour, you can return it to the freezer. This often happens when you’re trying to make up your mind about cooking the pork or not.
When not to refreeze pork
If it has not been out for more than 2 hours
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, it is not safe to refreeze meat that has been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. This guideline applies to all meat.
Therefore, you should not refreeze your pork if you have left it out for more than 2 hours.
If you thawed it on the counter
This is the worst way to thaw pork you plan to refreeze. Thaw it in other ways, except by leaving it out on the counter.
Thawing for hours on the counter exposes your pork to bacteria and microorganisms that will contaminate your meat and may make you sick.
If the pork looks bad
Frankly, there is no point in refreezing pork that is already going bad. An unpleasant odor, discoloration, mold growth, and a slimy texture are all indicators that your pork is going bad.
Do not refreeze pork that already shows any of these signs. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting effort, time, and of course, pork.
FAQs
How many times can you freeze pork?
Once. Do not freeze pork more than once. If you must refreeze the meat, do not do so more than once. Follow conditions like refreezing pork that has not come to room temperature or hasn’t fully thawed.
What other foods should you not refreeze?
Do not refreeze all types of meat, shellfish, cream-based soups and sauces, and vegetables with high water content.
Can you refreeze pork fat?
Although some people do it, refreezing pork fat is not advisable.
Conclusion
Determining if you can refreeze thawed pork can be tricky and confusing. However, you must be very careful; otherwise, you risk food poisoning.
Carefully handle pork and other raw meat, so they do not become dangerous to your health.
Most importantly, always cook your meat – fresh or frozen – to the right temperature to kill bacteria.
Thanks for reading.
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