To chuck the food away?

[FloralBunting]

Freezer stopped working in the last 48 hours. I think it was possibly a power issue, but it's back working again now. Everything was pretty soft and dripping, and is now hard and cold again.

There are raw chicken breasts, various bits of Quorn, lots of veg and quite a bit of potato products and some bread.

I think, as it all clearly defrosted and refroze, there's not a lot to be done - it needs to go for safety reasons. DP is insisting it will be fine. Is there anything that could be alright? I'm thinking not.

AIBU?

You can refreeze raw meat that has been defrosted in the fridge but you don't know what temperature your broken freezer has been at so you're safer to chuck it. Refreezing cooked stuff is not safe.
I hate throwing stuff out but I really think you have to in this instance.
Tell your dh he can eat it all but be clear you won't be running to him with more loo roll or giving him sympathy when he's stuck on the toilet with dodgy guts.

I worked in catering for years. Mantra is "If in doubt, chuck it out!"

It's really not worth the risk to your health to save a few quid. False economy if you can't go to work because you have food poisoning.

Throw away - also check your home insurance, some have clauses that insure your frozen food without it affecting your claims (depends on the value of the food I guess but just to make you aware)

If in doubt chuck it out!

This happened to our freezer and we kept the potato waffles etc. They tasted weird.

If it were me, I would cook defrosted meat, cool it quickly and refreeze it. After all, you normally defrost meat before cooking, and you wouldn't have any qualms about freezing half your batch of cooking for later use.

But I'm surprised it defrosted completely in only 48 hours.

I'm not recommending that's what you should do. You have to make your own decision, and I don't know how completely defrosted the meat was, and for how long, and, as others have said, was the deepfreeze at the correct temperature prior to breakdown.

I'd definitely keep the bread, veg and potato stuff.

I think you need to chuck the chicken (although I'm vegan so don't really know about looking after meat). I'd also be a bit worried about any rice.

I would chuck the meat and keep the rest.

I'd get rid of the meat and keep the veg etc, but cook it up ASAP into lots of meals. An inforced meal prep!

It shouldn't have defrosted to pretty soft and dripping within 48 hours with the door closed. Either someone left the door open ajar or you need a better freezer.

Bin meat and fish. Keep the rest.... for your husband .

I don't know the timescales exactly because I was in bed ill and unconscious for much of it, and got up to puddles on the kitchen floor which no one had noticed. The broccoli was soft, and there were some sausages that were all squidgy, too and they have already gone be ause we used them for tea. I don't know how far the chicken had got, but I wouldn't risk chicken in a million years.

I was hoping the bread could be saved perhaps. I was planning on just doing what some had suggested, and doing some emergency cooking of what defrosted stuff I could, but then DP announced that the damn thing had started working again and all the food was solid and cold again so it would be fine, and I said absolutely not.

I'd cook as much meat as I might possibly be able to use in the next couple of days now (but I'd be using the meat for my dog, as I'm vegetarian - might be more cautious if it was for me to eat) and throw the rest away. I'd probaby keep the veg as it'd be usable in something, even if the texture's gone a bit funny. The Quorn will most likely be fine, too. I definitely wouldn't be throwing that away, but would make sure to use it up before any new stuff.

I would throw the meat but the rest I would eat.

Veg, potato products and quorn should all be fine. I have had frozen veg start to defrost when defrosting the freezer and I have just put it back in freezer when cleaned out and then eaten at a future date. Bread too.

There are stories of how places like Iceland and Farm Foods leave delivered frozen items around in store for quite a while before they are put into the correct freezers. There is a good chance some of them defrost in that time

I had this yesterday came home after visiting family and something had tripped the electrics so everything had defrosted, I binned the lot as it wasn't worth the risk...annoying though as had only done a shop just before we left but would rather not be ill

I’m pretty lax on things like food dates etc and if it had just been off for a bit I’d have kept it but I would throw those away.

Does your house contents insurance cover it?

Throw any poultry or pork. everything else will be fine

I wouldn't risk it. This happened to me once and took it as an opportunity to give the freezer a good clean and a stock it up with stuff I actually needed rather than the load of random odds and ends I always end up with!

I’d shut the door and carry on but we’ve developed stomachs of steel from my cooking over the years..

Happened to me and I sampled a potato product cooked. It was vile. Everything went in the bin and I'd just stocked up and the freezer was jam packed. Really annoying.

I’d cook all the meat today (it’s only just refrozen). Either eat or refreeze. Don’t just refreeze it in its raw state though, that wouldn’t be advisable.

Everything else will be OK.

Test it all on DP. Make sure he is close to the toilet for the foreseeable future.

This is where your nose comes in handy.Eat the stuff that smells ok and bin the rest.

I had this, but am a veggie so no meat - all of the Quorn/meat free bits I cooked up and refroze once cooked. The frozen veg you should be able to tell - if it's gone mushy looking then maybe just use it as a base for soups, but certainly no harm to be done refreezing it.

Meat and fish that has refrozen I would bin, if it's just defrosted, cook it up and freeze it afterwards..

I'd make a house insurance claim. Take a photograph of the spoiled food as they often ask for evidence