Not true! It is perfectly safe to refreeze meat as long as it has been handled properly while thawed.
Thawing and Refreezing Meat Does Not Necessarily Compromise Safety
Meat safety, whether it has been thawed or not, depends on keeping the meat cold—at 40°f or less. The quality of the meat may degrade with refreezing (see next section), but treating the thawed meat like you would meat that you just bought at the market is the key to safety. And again, that means keeping it cold!
Experts recommend that meat that has been thawed in cold water or a microwave should not be refrozen, but be cooked immediately. This is because those methods can cause uneven temperatures that can hit the "danger zone" (40-140°f) on the surface while the inside stays frozen.
Quality Can be Degraded by Refreezing
Refreezing meat doesn't add health risk if done properly, but it does degrade texture and moisture content. This happens because ice crystal formation ruptures muscle fibers and lets liquid escape the next time the meat is thawed. Meat becomes progressively drier and less flavorful with repeated freeze-thaw cycles, with quality suffering markedly by the third freeze/thaw cycle.
You Might Like These Myths!
Speaking of freezing, what about ice cubes?
Store coffee beans in the freezer? You bet!
