Freeze leftovers within days. If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly, according to USDA. Safety will depend on whether the raw product was handled properly before it was frozen, refrozen shortly after it was thawed, cooked to a safe temperature when it is eaten and handled safely if there are any leftovers. Skip to main content. Provide Feedback. The U.
DO NOT thaw meat at room temperature, such as on the kitchen counter. Tags: food safety. Feedback Form Feedback Form.
If you thawed out some ham or a pork roast for dinner but ended up making something else, or you simply have a lot of leftovers after a party, you may be wondering if it's safe to refreeze. You may wonder: Can uncooked pork be refrozen? What about cooked pork? The answer is yes; you can refreeze pork, but it's important to take the proper steps to ensure that it will be tasty—and safe—to eat when you thaw it for later use.
If you thawed pork in the refrigerator, and can't use it right away, you can safely refreeze it, whether it's been cooked or not. Just place it back in the freezer within a few days of thawing. It might be a touch drier when you go to use it due to the second thawing and reheating , but it will still taste great. Just know that according to the Department of Agriculture's guidelines , you should never refreeze meat that has been left out for more than two hours, and one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees.
In fact, pork that has been left out for an extended period of time shouldn't be eaten at all. No one likes to throw out food, but it's better than getting food poisoning. Wrap your pork tightly in freezer paper or a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn , which happens when foods are exposed to air.
If you use freezer bags, be sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag before you seal it. Then, label the packaging, so you don't forget what's inside.
Meanwhile, frozen cooked meat should go after 3 months. As long as the meat has been stored properly and thawed slowly in the refrigerator, it can be refrozen safely multiple times. If done correctly, refreezing meat does not pose any health risks. When you freeze, thaw, and refreeze an item, the second thaw will break down even more cells, leaching out moisture and changing the integrity of the product.
The other enemy is bacteria. Frozen and thawed food will develop harmful bacteria faster than fresh. Remember that freezing does not kill bacteria, only prevents the microbes from multiplying. So thawed food will have some bacteria that can multiply at room temperature, meaning that if the food is refrozen, there will be an increase in bacterial count by the time it is thawed again.
Place the pork in a slow cooker, oven-safe dish or pot depending on how you wish to reheat it. Cover the pork if possible to keep in as much moisture as you can. If you wish to reheat the pork leftovers in the microwave, place them on a microwave-safe plate and cover them with plastic wrap.
Cooking and reheating are the most effective ways to eliminate bacterial hazards in food. Most foodborne bacteria and viruses can be killed when food is cooked or reheated long enough at sufficient high temperature.
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