Can you refreeze hamburger

If you left it in cold water or used the microwave to thaw the hamburger meat, you have to cook it before you can safely refreeze it. There is plenty more to learn about the safe handling of raw ground beef. Keep reading to learn the best ways to freeze and store your beef, as well as how long ground beef will stay good, and more. If the meat was transferred directly from the freezer to the fridge, it can be thawed and re-frozen multiple times and still be safe for consumption.

The problem is that each time you freeze and thaw the meat, it will lose quality, becoming a bit of a mushy mess. When food is frozen, the water molecules inside it expand and break down cell walls which compromise the texture and flavor of the meat. The absolute best way to thaw ground beef is to place it in the refrigerator until it has completely softened. Depending on how much meat you are unthawing, how it is packaged, and the temperature of your fridge, refrigerated thawing could take anywhere from 8 hours to a full 24 hours.

Place the frozen meat in a watertight plastic bag and submerge it in a large bowl of cold water. Change the water every half hour until the meat is fully thawed. Cook the meat immediately after thawing. This method should defrost a pound of ground beef in about 30 minutes to an hour. Remove all packaging from the meat and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Repeat this process until the meat is completely thawed.

The good news? If the takeout bug bites you while your meat is still in the refrigerator, you're in luck. While you can refreeze beef, it doesn't always mean you should.

According to Southern Living , this beef won't be the tastiest, as the refreezing process can result in loss of moisture and a shift in texture.

Soups, stews, and casseroles will be the best ideas for this meat — your cheeseburger will just have to wait. This can give potentially harmful bacteria a substantial head start, but it doesn't mean you can't thaw and refreeze the beef.

The USDA recognizes three safe methods of thawing for frozen foods. If you plan to cook it immediately, you can defrost ground beef in your microwave or in watertight packaging under cold running water. However, if you want the option of refreezing your beef, the only safe method is to thaw it in your refrigerator.

A refrigerator's whole purpose is to keep your ingredients at a food-safe temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, which slows bacterial growth. If you thaw your beef overnight in the fridge, it never reaches a dangerous temperature, and can be refrozen at need. If your meal plans change and you plan on freezing ground beef again — or if you've gotten a great price on previously-frozen beef at the supermarket — it's important to freeze it as quickly as possible.

The refrigerator slows bacterial growth but doesn't stop it, and the longer your beef is out of the freezer the higher its population of bacteria will be. Label the beef when you refreeze it, indicating how long it was thawed.

But it has happened to the best of us: You thawed some steak you intended to use for a delicious steak dinner recipe , then you didn't get a chance to cook it and now you're wondering: Can you refreeze meat? Is it OK to just pop it back in the freezer for another time? Just like freezing cheese , the answer is a little complicated and depends on a few factors. Keep reading to find out if you can refreeze meat and the best ways to do it. According to the USDA , meat should be thawed in the refrigerator and never at room temperature.

If you didn't thaw your meat in the fridge, you should toss it and not refreeze it. If you did thaw it in the fridge, then you can refreeze the meat as long as it hasn't been sitting in the fridge for too long after it thawed the longer the thawed meat sits, the longer bacteria has to form on it.

If the meat has thawed and has been sitting in your fridge longer than 36 hours, we don't recommend refreezing it.