Can I refreeze a boiled ham?

runswithascript

Hello

Bought a ham last week but we still had to use up the previous one so it was put in the freezer.

I defrosted it on a dish on the counter over night, put back in the fridge for a few hours and now boiled it.

I am unsure if it is safe to freeze part of it again for sandwiches? I cannot find a conclusive answer on Google.

Thanks.

sonyvision

The nanny in the sitting room said 1s it is defrosted and cooked you cant refreeze it again,

she is always cooking so i would listen to her advice

runswithascript

sonyvision wrote: »

The nanny in the sitting room said 1s it is defrosted and cooked you cant refreeze it again,

she is always cooking so i would listen to her advice

I would agree with her, it's just Google seems sketchy on the subject

I won't take the chance unless I find a general consensus saying it's okay, so much so that I annoyingly had to throw out a free range corn fed chicken breast, something I have only recently introduced into my diet, because the fridge was on too low and refroze it a bit by accident!

sonyvision

dusf wrote: »

I would agree with her, it's just Google seems sketchy on the subject

free range corn fed chicken breast

because the fridge was on too low and refroze it a bit by accident!

Thats something I wouldnt even consider keeping no matter how nice it would be, chicken is lethal if its not prepared right :pac:

Dizzyblonde

Of course you can freeze cooked meat that was frozen while raw, there's absolutely no danger whatsoever. Cooked ham freezes particularly well, I do it all the time.
When I'm cooking any roast meat I'll buy one twice the size I want and slice and freeze what's left over.

Actually, one of the regular posters in this forum who's in the food industry has often said that you can refreeze raw meat safely but the quality deteriorates.

huskerdu

Even the Food Safety Authority of Ireland say it is OK to refreeze food that has been defrosted and cooked,

http://www.fsai.ie/faq/domestic.html


Q. Can I refreeze defrosted food?

No. Defrosted food should not be refrozen unless first cooked to over 70°C (it is recommended that food reach 70°C for at least 2 minutes or 75°C instantaneously to ensure proper cooking).

runswithascript

Thanks guys, still going to use some of it for carbonara tonight, just less than I thought I would have to

Pembily

I often cook defrosted meat and then freeze some of it! Never had any problems!

Condatis

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Of course you can freeze cooked meat that was frozen while raw, there's absolutely no danger whatsoever. Cooked ham freezes particularly well, I do it all the time.
When I'm cooking any roast meat I'll buy one twice the size I want and slice and freeze what's left over.

What do you mean by cooking roast meat? Are you boiling it after you roast it? I've never heard of that.

arse..biscuits

You can freeze it.

You shouldn't thaw then refreeze raw meat

You can, thaw, cook, and freeze the cooked meat

rubadub

arse..biscuits wrote: »

You shouldn't thaw then refreeze raw meat

The butcher I used to live near use to thaw & refreeze raw meat all the time (a highly respected award winning butchers).

It just has to be done right, there are no magical freezer maggots/bacteria that some people seem to think exist.

The myth is perpetuated by people who read manufacturers warnings against refreezing, but this is since they want you eating their food in its best condition. Repeated thaw/freeze expands & contracts cells and changes texture.

Dizzyblonde

Condatis wrote: »

What do you mean by cooking roast meat? Are you boiling it after you roast it? I've never heard of that.

I meant roasting a joint of meat

clappyhappy

As mentioned yes you can freeze it.

Speaking as a chef I personally wouldn't refreeze meat that has been defrosted and not cooked. It might be ok but I would always cook it first.

rubadub

clappyhappy wrote: »

Speaking as a chef I personally wouldn't refreeze meat that has been defrosted and not cooked. It might be ok but I would always cook it first.

This would be an interesting test, get 2 frozen chicken fillets defrosted, cook one and refreeze both. Now upon the second defrost cook the raw one and reheat the other and compare taste.

Could depend a lot on how the cooked one is reheated though.

the beer revolu

rubadub wrote: »

This would be an interesting test, get 2 frozen chicken fillets defrosted, cook one and refreeze both. Now upon the second defrost cook the raw one and reheat the other and compare taste.

Could depend a lot on how the cooked one is reheated though.

I think a better test would be to take 2 frozen fillets, defrost one in the fridge, then refreeze it. Then defrost both of them in the fridge and cook both.

I cooked monk fish last night that had been defrosted, then refrozen raw.
It was lovely.

rubadub

the beer revolu wrote: »

I think a better test would be to take 2 frozen fillets, defrost one in the fridge, then refreeze it. Then defrost both of them in the fridge and cook both.

That is a good test for seeing the effects of repeated thaw/freezing.

But in my test I was thinking of the chef who said they would cook before refreezing it. If people have defrosted stuff by accident which they do not want to eat that day then what is the best option? what will result in a better tasting dish several days later, refreezing or cooking and reheating.

If you cook a chicken fillet and plan on eating it in several days you can get away with refrigerating it, rather than refreezing. But you are still having to reheat it. While the freshly cooked twice frozen one might taste better.

hardCopy

the beer revolu wrote: »

I think a better test would be to take 2 frozen fillets, defrost one in the fridge, then refreeze it. Then defrost both of them in the fridge and cook both.

I cooked monk fish last night that had been defrosted, then refrozen raw.
It was lovely.

I'd imagine defrosting in the fridge would make this relatively safe, the danger probably comes in when people leave a chicken breast to defrost on a worktop and then refreeze.

Incidentally, I bought two Angus Fillets in Aldi a few weeks back, ate one that night and froze the other for a week. The one that I froze seemed to be much more tender after defrosting that the one eaten fresh. I'm guessing the expansion of freezing helped to tenderise the meat.

the beer revolu

hardCopy wrote: »

I'd imagine defrosting in the fridge would make this relatively safe, the danger probably comes in when people leave a chicken breast to defrost on a worktop and then refreeze.

This is exactly why it is commonly held that you can't refreeze raw produce. It is a rule of thumb because the rule makers don't know the conditions that it has defrosted in.

runswithascript

I'm still breathing after refreezing and eating, thanks all