To think it wouldn't kill us?

[likeafireworkshow]

I got some chicken out of the freezer on Monday to eat on Tuesday and then our plans changed...

In our rush to leave, I put the chicken back in the freezer without thinking so it is now frozen again.

I know things say to defrost and not refreshed but.... why?

Will eating chicken that has been frozen, defrosted and refrozen (and then defrosted again, I guess) make us Ill?

DH is all for throwing it away but I hate food waste!!

Don't eat!!!

Chuck it! I hate food waste too, but this is a hard no.

Oh 🙈

Ok; I'll absolutely throw it but can I ask why?

It probably won't kill you but it could well give you a bad case of the green apple splatters

I think it’s ok….and I’m super cautious!!!
IF IT HaS BeEN on the side Chuck it out!!!!!! This article discusses your exact scenario (assuming it was in the fridge the entire time)…https://www.southernliving.com/food/meat/chicken/can-you-refreeze-chicken

If you google it, you get a lot of responses from food things around the world saying it’s ok depending on how it has been thawed and to make sure it is properly cooked. It has to have been kept in the fridge though - cannot have been out on the side.

Again…Aussie food safety council says it’s ok as long as it has always been in the fridge…cannot have defrosted on countertop…https://www.foodsafety.asn.au/topic/aussies-get-it-wrong-about-refreezing-defrosted-raw-chicken-australian-food-safety-week-13-to-20-november-2021/#:~:text=As%20long%20as%20the%20raw,as%20soon%20as%20you%20can.

Another hard no.

If it was defrosted in the fridge and then frozen promptly (so never coming to room temp, always staying between freezer temp and fridge temp) it won't make you ill, but the chicken itself will be of weird texture.

Not on yer nellie! Bin it.

One of my sisters old boyfriends from a couple of decades ago, worked in a warehouse that used to refreeze defrosted food and change the expiry date. Must have been illegal but there was some kind of loophole somewhere.

We wouldn't know if anyone died from it.

Not a chance would I risk that it's not worth it

I would absolutely throw out, chicken can only be thawed and frozen again under controlled conditions. Real risk of nasty bacteria developing otherwise.

If it was defrosting in a functioning refrigerator then it will be fine. The refreezing may affect the texture, that's all.

All these people saying chuck it out are bonkers. Unless they defrost chicken overnight at room temp, in which case they're asking for food poisoning. Which is ironic.

I’m not a food scientist type person, but it’s got to be to do with harmful Bacteria in the chicken multiplying. When you keep the chicken below a certain temperature (freezer or fridge) the bacteria can’t grow. But when you thaw it, you have to bring the temperature up to where bacteria can multiply. If you freeze it at this point, you’re freezing it with the bacteria already multiplied (does freezing kill bacteria? It kills dust mites. I’m guessing it doesn’t kill because otherwise it would be fine to refreeze). So when you re-thaw the chicken, the temp rises and the bacteria multiplies even more, to dangerous, food poisoning levels. Or something.

The link above says it’s fine if you have thawed the chicken in the fridge, and that much be because bacteria are v slow to multiply below 5°.

I would not serve it in a restaurant, but I’d probably give it my husband.

It's not worth the stress of not knowing if it's bad or not, just throw it

If it was in the fridge it'll be fine. If it was defrosted at room temperature I wouldn't risk it - but it'd still more than likely be fine to be honest. We're far too cautious about food safety, we could get away with a lot more than we do, we just (quite rightly!) judge that the potential consequences aren't worth the risk for the sake of just buying some more chicken.

We've just ordered an Indian.

Every cloud, hey 🤣

Sniff test it. I wouldn't rule it out until unless it smells funky

It's not worth the risk

It's fine, don't chuck it! I watched a programme about this and he said you can defrost in the fridge and then refreeze without problem. As long as not left for too long in the fridge before you refreeze it again. I've done this before and never had any ill effects