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AIBU?

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Original poster

Or am I about to poison my family?

58 replies

theblessedDJ · 31/12/2018 17:59

Help! Cooked the turkey on Christmas Day, cooled, put straight in fridge and then put in freezer on Boxing Day. Took out of freezer, defrosted and made into pie yesterday along with bits of sausage, stuffing etc that had also been in freezer/fridge with turkey. I'm now reheating it (properly with meat thermometer) for tea tonight. The turkey, sausages, bacon and stuffing will have been cooked, frozen, defrosted, reheated, cooled then heated again. NHS website says not to reheat turkey more than once, this will be twice. Will we be ok? Thanks!

OP posts:
poshredrose · 31/12/2018 18:17

Heat doesn't kill some of the pathogens that will make you sick

Myshinynewname · 31/12/2018 18:19

I wouldn’t want to eat it OP. It’s one thing if you want to eat it but I think you need to let your guests decide for themselves.
To PP who cooked sauce and mixed turkey in - surely that’s worse?? If you put cold turkey in hot sauce it will have got warm enough for bacteria to breed but probably not hot enough to kill them. Xmas Envy

WhataLovelyPear · 31/12/2018 18:23

Hmm, personally I hate Turkey so would happily throw it away, but I bought a frozen meat pie at the weekend, accidentally let it defrost (forgot to unpack shopping) so shoved it in the fridge, heated it up in the oven and ate half the next day, cooled the other half, back in fridge, went away for a week, heated and ate the other half yesterday.
My reasoning was, it wasn't ideal but I made sure it was properly hot when I cooked it, cooled it rapidly and then kept it properly cold. I wouldn't have heated it a third time though.
You are taking a small risk, probably. I'd be stricter if I had small children/guests/elderly parents to feed.

dementedpixie · 31/12/2018 18:23

It would only be rice I'd be cautious with as it is a toxin produced by the bacteria that is the issue not the bacteria itself. This is interesting

www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2017/04/03/how-many-times-can-you-reheat-leftovers

PurpleWithRed · 31/12/2018 18:24

Definite yes from me, other than that the turkey will be a bit rubbery and tasteless after two freezings and reheating. As long as it’s got hot enough it’s fine by me.

Hiphopopotamous · 31/12/2018 18:25

I'm quite blasé about sell by dates but I wouldn't eat 3x cooked meat

Original poster
theblessedDJ · 31/12/2018 18:26

Thanks all, it's not actual guests, just me, DH and my mum. They say I'm being ridiculous and that we've made and reheated turkey soup etc several times for years so are happy to eat it! I'm not normally the slightest bit bothered about stuff like this but NHS website worried me.

OP posts:
BigSandyBalls2015 · 31/12/2018 18:27

The anniversary incident mentioned earlier was prob more to do with food being left out all evening.

FusionChefGeoff · 31/12/2018 18:27

My food hygiene is appalling - I regularly reheat frozen and reheated meat / eat past use by dates / remove mouldy bits etc etc.

I've only ever had food poisoning once when I was on a business trip!

BigSandyBalls2015 · 31/12/2018 18:28

I made a turkey and ham pie out of leftovers on Thursday. DD was out so I left hers in fridge and she microwaved it on Friday. No probs.

dementedpixie · 31/12/2018 18:28

When i was a child and my mum made soup it would sit in the pot on the hob and get heated several times over several days. Surprised we all survived!

TheFairyCaravan · 31/12/2018 18:29

I absolutely would not do it.

I've had food poisoning from rice, the stomach pain was horrendous. I'm so cautious around food now, nothing is worth that.

dementedpixie · 31/12/2018 18:30

Rice is different though as it can contain a bacteria that produces toxins not destroyed by heat. The food OP is making won't have that bacteria

Iused2BanOptimist · 31/12/2018 18:35

That's the whole point of Christmas leftovers. Sounds delicious.

Redgreencoverplant · 31/12/2018 18:37

I have reheated veg based meals twice before but would never do with animal products I will admit.

SassitudeandSparkle · 31/12/2018 18:39

No, I wouldn't reheat it a third time.

MaltedMilk88 · 31/12/2018 18:39

I'd reheat it, wouldn't bother me at all. Have done with turkey and chicken before and we are still all here to tell the tale :)

Myimaginaryreindeerhasfleas · 31/12/2018 18:40

I would reheat once, as in using cold leftovers to make a cooked pie, curry or casserole. Have been doing so for thirty years, never killed anyone. But what you are doing sounds like three times.

I still think you’ll be OK.

Disclaimer: I’m vegetarian, I don’t eat any of it! Xmas Grin

Val87 · 31/12/2018 18:40

You’ll probably be fine but personally I wouldn’t risk it.

Pythonesque · 31/12/2018 18:42

It's much safer than the leftover turkey casserole I'm about to pop in the oven to reheat tonight. And I'm not worried at all about ours.

Myimaginaryreindeerhasfleas · 31/12/2018 18:47

Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure my family have happily reheated second hand left overs from said turkey pie, curry or casserole with no ill effect.

But I am famous for keeping a stash of vintage food. Xmas Blush

Missingstreetlife · 31/12/2018 18:48

If you cook after freezing it's like you cooked from fresh. Don't freeze again if not cooked. (Though I have if it just defrosted v briefly)
You can freeze and reheat cooked food You shouldn't really reheat again, I would take a chance. Reheat thoroughly to high temperature and throw away leftovers.
Bacteria grow in warm conditions, hibernate when frozen and killed by very hot for long enough.therefore reheating and cooling risk mutiplying bacteria and often then not heated long enough to kill

Nothisispatrick · 31/12/2018 18:56

Rice is different,

I would eat it op. I think dangerous is a bit dramatic. Normal healthy adults won’t drop dead from food poisoning.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 31/12/2018 18:59

I wouldn't eat it. Normal healthy adults might not drop dead from food poisoning but there's no way I'd risk it.

Missingstreetlife · 31/12/2018 19:03

Chicken pork and turkey do carry nasty bacteria which is why you don't eat them pink. beef and lamb you can eat raw.
Fish and esp shell fish can be dodgy too

Make it very hot and eat quick, it will be fine

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