Food hygiene question

bundly

I made a tomato, red wine, herbs and stock liquid in which I braised lamb shanks. After eating the shanks it seemed a shame to throw away that wonderful liquid so I froze it to use it on the next lamb shanks.

Today I defrosted it and cooked four more lamb shanks in it.

Question -- can I freeze it again?

I seem to remember being told never to re-freeze anything that has been frozen -- any food hygienists out there can give a ruling?

Thanks!

Linda32

I'm not qualified to say, but no I wouldn't re-freeze the liquid again. - Sorry

PixieDust

I would say no....the first batch of lamb-juice/stock will have already been frozen once and then heated. I don't expect it would kill you, but it's not good practice

meritaten

I'm not qualified either - but, I wouldnt use the liquid again. Why do you have any left anyway? didnt it make a fantastic tasty sauce? tbh - I prob wouldnt have had any liquid left over the first time! OH would have eaten the lot with bread to sop it up!

Did it stay too runny for a sauce or gravy the first time? Take a tip from the chefs and boil the heck out of it to reduce it for a sauce!

I also cannot help wondering if you used too much liquid to braise your meat in the first place. but not having seen the recipe I cant really judge.

paddy's_mum

I wouldn't, either - it just seems to me to be pushing your luck!

I would, though, pop it into the fridge and tomorrow add a can of soup to it to bulk it out and that's lunch taken care of.

Fruball

I would, as long as it hadn't been lying around for hours in a warm room or left out TBH as long as its properly heated through, and boils for a good 5 minutes, that is going to kill anything off anyway.

They used to boil babies bottles for 5 mins to sterilise them which kills off all germs so I don't see how germs could live in sauce that had been boiled.

seabright

I thought you could refreeze so long as something had been properly cooked after being previously frozen.

I am pretty cavalier about that kind of thing - none of us have got I'll yet!

McKneff

Its not 'on' to refreeze it again, but I bet it was blumming lovely both times......................

Dont push your luck

valk_scot

Frugal wrote: »

I would, as long as it hadn't been lying around for hours in a warm room or left out TBH as long as its properly heated through, and boils for a good 5 minutes, that is going to kill anything off anyway.

They used to boil babies bottles for 5 mins to sterilise them which kills off all germs so I don't see how germs could live in sauce that had been boiled.

Dead bacteria aren't a problem, no. It's the toxins they've produced that have leached into the gravy that's the problem, once they get above a certain concentration anyway. Two cycles of warm-boil-cool-freeze are quite enough, given that boiling actually doesn't sterilize most foodstuffs 100% anyway.

bundly

meritaten wrote: »

Why do you have any left anyway? didnt it make a fantastic tasty sauce? tbh - I prob wouldnt have had any liquid left over the first time! OH would have eaten the lot with bread to sop it up! .... I also cannot help wondering if you used too much liquid to braise your meat in the first place.

The reason is, I am on a zero carb diet -- not allowed to actually "drink" the liquid as it is much too carby (canned tomatoes, wine, both very high carb) so I just use it to braise the meat, then eat the meat.

For the same reason, I cannot have it as a soup for lunch. I can't even have the canned soup -- too many carbs, flour, sugar...

THANK for the answers, folks. Seems the consensus is, I am going to have to tip three pints of delicious braising liquid down the toilet :-(