[neilep (OP)]

Dear Chickenologists and peeps who have experience of eating food !


See Hugo here ?

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He's a happy chicken !......see him there with a smile on his chickeny face ?

He just can't wait to be roasted/fried/diced/chopped/stuffed/baked/boiled/broiled/BBQ'd/M'waved/Steamed/Stewed/Braised !

...But say I decided that I couldn't make up my mind on how to cook Hugo and decided that I'd settle for some stale bread and ice instead.....why would it not be recommended to re-freeze Hugo  ?(once he'd been defrosted)...in fact.....why does this apply all foods that have been defrosted ?....are there any exceptions ?...apart from water !


As a firm believer in empirical study I sneaked into next doors kitchen and unplugged their freezer and opened the door to it and directed a hot fan towards the contents. I waited till they came downstairs (I hid behind their toaster) in the hope that they would re-freeze the contents but all they did was seem to be upset and panic a little..and then shout at each other.........Hmmmpth !!...ewe'd think they'd be happy to contribute to  science.....nope !!.......I don't get it !...some people eh ?



So Ewe see...I still don't know !.....I want to know !....can ewe tell me  ?



Thanks


neil
Hugo Plucker
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[RD]

Sam & Ella reproduce rapidly when Hugo is a room temperature.
So every de-frost/re-frost cycle will increase the levels of bacteria in the chicken.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1547576/'One-in-four-chicken-flocks-has-salmonella'.html

[JnA]

Salmonella itself needs ideal temps to live thrive and survive.. so once we cook chicken it should be fine right?  well given enough time for the salmonella to groove, the by products are the ones that will make us sick..even after cooking.

Treat your chicken right people, treat the chicken right.

[neilep (OP)]

Thank Ewe Rd ..Thank Ewe JnA

From what I understand though, most chickens have Sam & Ella.....so...as long as I cook Hugo thoroughly.....what is to really stop me from refreezing him again ?.........hmm..those by-products don't sound nice Jna !

...and what about other meats ?.....is it ok to re-freeze a de-frozen raw steak ?......fish ?

[Karen W.]

I have refrozen things I defrost in the refrigerator and changed my mind about, but did not defrost them at room temperature. so they never reached a warm temp.. have never had any problems though. cause they went straight from freezer to fridge and from fridge back to freezer after they defrosted.

[Bored chemist]

There is an increased risk from bacteria (though not salmonella if you cook the stuff thoroughly) but a major part of the problem is that the growth of ice crystals in the food as it freezes damages the structure. If you do this often enough you end up with a mush. The people selling the stuff don't want to get the blame for selling substandard food so they tell you not to refreeze it.