It’s long been held that you can only freeze food once, but is that true?
And what about how long you can freeze food? A month? A year? Until hell freezes over?
Official advice has stepped back a bit on the strict rule that once food has defrosted, that’s it, use it or chuck it.
And as for how long you can freeze food, well that’s changed a bit too. No longer are there strict guidelines about how long it can linger in your freezer.
This is good news, as we all try to keep food costs down. And it’s annoying to throw anything out.
So what are the guidelines?
Perhaps the most contentious food substance to refreeze is meat, but according to the Food Safety Information Council (FSIC), go ahead and refreeze that meat, with conditions.
FSIC chair Cathy Moir says it is a persistent myth that chicken and red meat can’t be refrozen.
‘It has been such a common myth over the years that you can’t refreeze raw chicken or other raw meats that have been safely defrosted in the fridge,” she said.
“This myth is more common among older Australians with 88 per cent of those over 65 thinking this is unsafe compared with 58 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds.
“While it’s absolutely the case that you need to take care with the way you defrost raw chicken, if it has been properly defrosted in the fridge it’s quite safe to refreeze.
“Minimising food waste is an important objective for our entire community, so it’s important for us to clarify this fact.”
Cold comfort
And that’s the key, it has to have been defrosted in the fridge first. FSIC recommends that as long as chicken or other meat is defrosted in a fridge running at 5°C or below, you are safe to refreeze it. The rules cover fruit, vegetables and cooked meals as well.
FSIC also recommends dividing food and freezing it in batches so you only have to defrost what you need to minimise the need to refreeze food.
The worst outcome is a drop in flavour, and it’s probably going to be a bit more mooshy. Or the eating quality drops, if you want the technical term.
I’m related to two people in the food industry who have been through HACCP training and for them, the idea of refreezing food is akin to slapping a baby in public. A look of horror passes their faces.
And you should have seen their distaste when they worked out I didn’t have nine colour-coded cutting boards for each food group. But no-one has died, so we carry on.
How long can you freeze food?
Well, once again, that very much depends on your freezer. According to FSIC, technically you can freeze meat and vegetables for years. However, that’s in industrial conditions. For domestic fridge freezers you can store frozen products for up to six weeks without any major quality effects.
With a chest freezer operating at minus 18°C, the time is longer – three months or more depending on the fat content.
The higher the fat content the shorter the shelf life. Your freezer manufacturer usually lists recommended storage times for different types of food on the door or lid of your freezer.
Do you refreeze food? Why not share your experience in the comments section below?
Also read: The worst foods to freeze
