Acquaintances with household experience as well as the deep-freeze industry urgently advise you: Never refreeze what has been thawed! But is that true and is it still relevant today? From a microbiological point of view, the all-clear has been given when it comes to repeated deep-freezing.

Thawed vegetables can be refrozen

What problems can arise from repeated freezing?

The biggest concerns about freezing thawed food are mostly health-related: When food is thawed and reheated slowly, it is possible for harmful germs to settle on the products. This can spoil the food and become a health hazard for those who eat it.
Depending on the type of product, the risk of suffering damage to your health from repeatedly defrosting food is relatively low. There are major differences in the expected germ load in the product groups described below:

  • Prepared dishes (home-cooked or ready-made)
  • raw foods
  • Food that is eaten without prior cooking

Does product quality suffer from repeated thawing?

The answer to this question is clearly yes. Freezing damages the cell structure of the food, which means that fruit, for example, is often mushy after thawing. This effect is amplified the second time it is frozen and thawed again, which is why the food often becomes unsightly. The taste of many products also suffers from repeated thawing.

Freeze prepared dishes again

It doesn't matter whether it's a ready-made frozen meal or a meal you've prepared at home: You can easily refreeze the leftovers of your meals that have already been thawed if the meal is reheated sufficiently before consumption. Any harmful germs that may be contained are killed in the oven, saucepan or microwave, which means that there is no health risk when consumed.
Before repeated deep-freezing, you should make sure that the food does not remain unrefrigerated for longer than two hours. In this way you can also prevent the formation of germs.
Please note that ready-made dishes in particular lose a lot of their aroma if they are repeatedly defrosted.

Refreeze raw food

Would you like to cook the rethawed food before eating it? Then there is no health risk from repeated freezing. If you want to eat fruit or vegetables raw, it is important to ensure that no germs can settle on the food the first time you thaw it, and every time it is thawed again: the fruit or vegetables must always remain chilled, i.e. also thaw them in the refrigerator. Animal products that have been thawed repeatedly should not be eaten raw due to the health hazard in the event of contamination with germs.
The structure of most types of fruit and vegetables suffers so much due to their high water content that the thawed fruit looks unappetizing.

Refreeze unheated food

Frozen foods that are not heated before consumption should not remain unrefrigerated for more than two hours if you wish to refreeze them. Otherwise, the risk of an increased germ load is high. For the sake of your health, however, to be on the safe side, you should not refreeze such foods, especially if they contain ingredients of animal origin (e.g. ice cream or pastries).

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

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Care tips