Worries about defrosted food

ripplyuk

Whenever I have food that is close to it's use-by date, I freeze it if I know I won't use it up in time. When I then defrost it later, I start worrying that it's not safe to eat and end up throwing it out. Which is a waste.

The problem is that I usually defrost stuff in the fridge, which they say is safest, but can take ages. Sometimes it's not fully defrosted the next day, so then I leave it until the day after, by which time I'm worried it's been sitting around too long and must have gone off.

Is there any way to be sure it's ok to eat? Eg, if I freeze it two days before it's use-by date, does it need to be used up within two days of taking it out of the freezer? Or, is even that too late, since it's now long past it's original use-by date? I'm not sure if it's really risky or if I'm worrying too much.

krlyr

I think of freezing as a 'pause' button - so if I've frozen with 3 days left on the date, I'd give it 3 days out of the freeze once defrosting. Some stuff might lose quality from being frozen and go a bit soggy/meh, but I've used that as my general rule for years and never had any issues

caronc

It should be fine until it is properly defrosted so no issues if takes a while but if poultry or fish/seafood frozen pretty near the use by date use asap once it's fully defrosted. Other stuff should be ok for 48 hours after defrosting. That said if looks or smells odd bin it not worth the risk

ripplyuk

Would it be safer to defrost things in the microwave?

With things like chicken curry, it's often not defrosted fully after 24hrs in the fridge. It'll probably only take another few hours but since that'll be too late for dinner, I've no option but to leave it until the next day. Which seems too long, especially since it's poultry.

elsien

I'm wondering if your fridge is too cold? If I leave things in the fridge overnight it's generally defrosted the next day.
Plus food doesn't go off on the stroke of midnight on the day of the use by date. I quite often buy yellow sticker meat and don't freeze it till the next day - so technically a day after the use by date. Then I defrost overnight as usual.
I've not poisoned myself yet.

If your chicken curry isn't fully defrosted, I'd happily zap it in the microwave to finish it off. No different to cooking a ready meal from frozen, as long as it's thoroughly hot.

DigForVictory

Whatever you do, please do not, ever, re-freeze. That way lies food poisoning, which is not money saving at all.

A lettuce is a splendid test of a fridge - if you get a lettuce lolly, it's Too Cold!

Happy stashing in the freezer & enjoying when convenient!

Flat_Eric

I think my fridge is too cold so 24 hours defrost time is sometimes not enough. I usually allow 36 hours max if say it's a joint of meat. Or I alternate between leaving on the side to defrost but put in the fridge overnight. Or take out a few hours before I want to use it. If its a curry or a chilli then usually I reheat till its piping piping hot.

ripplyuk

I've been poisoned twice. Not by me though. First time was a restaurant. Second time was a sandwich from a petrol station (which was out of date, but I didn't check it). I was much more relaxed about food 'dates' before that. Now, I'm still not bothered about 'best before' dates but I'm very careful about the use-by, and food hygiene.

It's possible the fridge is too cold. I haven't got a thermometer in it anymore so it might be worth getting another one. Knowing me, I probably set it to the coldest end of the normal range. Sometimes, food that touches the back of the fridge is partly frozen.

I'll try using the microwave to finish the defrosting. I'd feel better about that, than leaving it for another day.

Flat_Eric

ripplyuk wrote: »

It's possible the fridge is too cold. I haven't got a thermometer in it anymore so it might be worth getting another one. Knowing me, I probably set it to the coldest end of the normal range. Sometimes, food that touches the back of the fridge is partly frozen.

This happens in my fridge as well (Stuff is half frozen)and then I'm like - hmm do I leave it in the fridge or do I stick it in the freezer??

Pop_Up_Pirate

ripplyuk wrote: »

Whenever I have food that is close to it's use-by date, I freeze it if I know I won't use it up in time. When I then defrost it later, I start worrying that it's not safe to eat and end up throwing it out. Which is a waste.

The problem is that I usually defrost stuff in the fridge, which they say is safest, but can take ages. Sometimes it's not fully defrosted the next day, so then I leave it until the day after, by which time I'm worried it's been sitting around too long and must have gone off.

Is there any way to be sure it's ok to eat? Eg, if I freeze it two days before it's use-by date, does it need to be used up within two days of taking it out of the freezer? Or, is even that too late, since it's now long past it's original use-by date? I'm not sure if it's really risky or if I'm worrying too much.

If you have frozen it when it was ok, it will be ok when its defrosted in the fridge.

Pop_Up_Pirate

DigForVictory wrote: »

Whatever you do, please do not, ever, re-freeze. That way lies food poisoning, which is not money saving at all.

A lettuce is a splendid test of a fridge - if you get a lettuce lolly, it's Too Cold!

Happy stashing in the freezer & enjoying when convenient!

Refreezing food that has been defrosted in the fridge does not cause food poisoning.

Refreezing foods is discourages because most people do NOT use their fridge to defrost so bacteria can start to develop as its warming up to room temperature.