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Fm: Cook's Illustrated & America's Test Kitchen
Q. Can I _Refreeze_ Meat for Later Use? -
A. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food that
is properly thawed in the refrigerator is _safe_ to refreeze in its raw
state.
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The only drawback is a reduction in quality due to moisture loss.
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The slow process of freezing that occurs in a home freezer (as compared
with a commercial 'flash' freezer) causes large ice crystals to form.
The crystals rupture the cell walls of the meat, permitting the release
of juices during cooking. A 2nd freeze-thaw cycle aggravates the
problem, as the meat's liquid-retaining capacity is further reduced,
allowing even more moisture to escape from the meat as it cooks.
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To see just how much moisture was lost from repeated freeze-thaw cycles,
three (3) 7-oz samples of 85% lean ground beef=97 1 straight from the
store, 1 that was home frozen and thawed once, and 1 that was frozen and
thawed twice=97 were cooked over med-hi heat in a sm skillet; drained,
and the amount of liquid released was measured.
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The test was repeated and the results averaged. The batches that wasn't
frozen released 3/4 tsp of liquid. The batches that had undergone a
freeze-thaw cycle were dry-tasting, having released 2 tsp of liquid. The
batches that had been frozen and thawed twice was even worse, releasing
a full Tbsp of liquid.
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So while it's _safe_ to refreeze defrosted meat, it isn't recommend.
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