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Showerthought: I always heard you can't refreeze thawed meat, but my freezer broke for 8 hours last week.
Turns out, the USDA says it's fine if it stayed under 40 degrees, which mine did. Has anyone else actually looked this up, or do we all just blindly follow that old rule?
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robert_anderson691mo ago
You're right about the temperature rule, but the real trick is knowing if it actually stayed cold enough. A freezer that's been off for eight hours in a 70 degree kitchen is a different story than one in a cold garage. That "refreeze" rule is a safe blanket statement because most people can't be sure. I just go by smell and texture if I'm on the fence.
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the_rose22d ago
That whole "it's fine if it looks okay" thing applies to way more than just freezer food honestly. I notice the same pattern with expiration dates on dairy and eggs. People act like the date is a magic switch but half the time it's just a suggestion from the manufacturer. A smell and texture check will tell you more than a printed number ever will. It's like we forgot basic common sense because we got too used to those strict labels telling us what to do.
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claire_wells871mo ago
My freezer once died and I panicked so hard I almost cooked everything into a giant mystery stew. Robert_anderson69 has a point about the blanket rule, it's just easier for food safety people to say never refreeze. The smell test is my go to move now, if it doesn't make me gag it's probably fine. I wasted so much food before actually reading the guidelines.
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