Refreezing steaks

[herbwhite59]

I have a freezer that lost power and 6 ribeye steaks thawed. Can I refreeze them and if not why not? Thanx for a reply.

[invalid unparseable]

I've done it many times when they were still cold but thawed.

[trader_4]

Sure. It's not ideal, they probably degrade in quality a little each time that's done, but they are perfectly safe as long as they didn't get above 40F for any length of time.

[Ed Pawlowski]

You can, but depending on how much they thawed you will loose some quality. The first freeze caused some rupture of cells and loss of the juices, the second can be worse.

I'd consider cooking them in the next day or two or grinding them and make a meatloaf.

[Rod Speed]

[e-mail] wrote

Yep. They'll be fine.

[catalpa]

Cook them and eat them. What are you saving them for?

[Oren]

This is the best answer. Freezing the meat a second time will likely further damage. The ice crystals will be bigger. imo

[Hawk]

I concur. There will me some loss of quality due to moisture loss. If the meat thawed to room temperature, there is a risk of e-coli that may have settled.