freezing surplus food

pavlovs_dog · 31 January 2005 at 1:22AM

just a quick query, to avoid poisoning myself

you know when you freeze surplus foods? well when the time comes to eat it, do you

leave it to defrost completely before re-heating? heat it through thoroughly from frozen when you are ready to eat?
or does it depend on what it is? ie cake versus shepherds pie?

also, do you defrost things in the fridge or on the draining board?

cheers dearies

tiff · 31 January 2005 at 8:44AM

You can defrost it in the microwave. Leave it out on the side to defrost or defrost in the fridge. You can also heat it through from frozen.

I generally leave it out on the side, although I did a food safety course which said you should always defrost in the fridge.

Lillibet_2 · 31 January 2005 at 8:52AM

I generally deforst in the firdge as not only is it safer but it helps keep the fridge cool without the fridge having to work so hard (No idea wheather it actually saves on electricity though!?). I would never defost meat products on the counter. I find pasta dishes re-heat fine from frozen.

elona · 31 January 2005 at 10:32AM

I go by the rule that stuff with meat in it is a lot more likely to harm you if not properly treated.

With something like cake the worst that should happen is that it is a bit like ice cream

pavlovs_dog · 3 February 2005 at 1:25AM

cheers guys, your fab

so, just to make sure i've got this completely clear...waht would you do with a surplus portion of lasagne/shepherds pie...is there still seriuos health risks even though the meat has already been cooked?

student100 · 4 February 2005 at 9:32PM

pavlovs_dog wrote:

cheers guys, your fab

so, just to make sure i've got this completely clear...waht would you do with a surplus portion of lasagne/shepherds pie...is there still seriuos health risks even though the meat has already been cooked?

Yes there is a health risk. There will be some bacteria still present and they can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature for the length of time required to defrost.

Either defrost slowly in the fridge or quickly in the microwave (and then heat fully right away).

But obviously stuff that you store and eat at room temperature (bread, cake & other baked goods etc) can be safely defrosted at room temperature.

Jeryth · 7 February 2005 at 12:47PM

Not really about defrosting, but my dad once told me, "Never put anything into the freezer in the same state as you removed it". Ie, frozen uncooked meat should be cooked if you want to re-freeze it. Then again, cooked meat out of the freezer, warmed up, then cooled and frozen again is okay, isn't it?

student100 · 7 February 2005 at 2:03PM

jeryth wrote:

cooked meat out of the freezer, warmed up, then cooled and frozen again is okay, isn't it?

Not really. If you take food out of the freezer and warm it up, the bacteria will start to multiply rapidly. Freezing it again won't kill these bacteria, so they're still there next time you take it out of the freezer.

(And really you should never "warm" something that has been frozen, it must be heated thoroughly until "piping hot right through").

You are generally advised not to re-freeze anything that has been previously frozen, especially meat.

From the Food Standards Agency:

Freezing meat
It's OK to freeze raw meat providing you do the following things:
freeze it before the ‘use by’ date

follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label

defrost it in a microwave if you intend to cook it as soon as it’s defrosted, otherwise thaw it in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm

try to use the meat within two days of defrosting – it will go off in the same way as fresh meat

cook food until it’s piping hot all the way through

When meat thaws, lots of liquid can come out of it. This liquid will spread bacteria to any food, plates or surfaces that it touches. Keep the meat in a sealed container at the bottom of the fridge, so that it can’t touch or drip onto other foods.

Always thoroughly clean plates, utensils, surfaces and hands after they have touched raw or thawing meat, to stop bacteria from spreading.

If you defrost raw meat and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again, but remember never reheat foods more than once.

Jeryth · 9 February 2005 at 6:26PM

So Daddy wasn't far off, then. Cheers! It was a lot easier when I was a veggie!

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freezing surplus food

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