Have you wondered if it was safe to re-freeze food? The answer is, it depends.
- If you lose power in your freezer or accidentally leave the door open overnight, you can re-freeze the contents if there are still ice crystals in the food or you use a thermometer and find that the food temperature is 40 degrees F or below. All food that has been above 40 degree F for more than 2 hours should be discarded.
- It’s also safe to re-freeze food that has been thawed in the refrigerator. It isn’t necessary to cook the raw food before re-freezing, but there may changes in the quality of the food with re-freezing and thawing.
- However, food thawed in the microwave or in cool water should be cooked prior to re-freezing.