Ack! My freezer was unplugged for a week!

[3prettyprincesses]

We just returned from vacation and saw that our separate freezer was unplugged! Almost all of the meat is thawed out completely. What stinks is that we just purchased an organic 1/4 cow before we left which is what is now defrosted! Is it safe to eat or refreeze?? My initial thought is no way but DH is insisting that it's ok.

 

[Goofyluver]

I'm gonna go with no. I'd toss the meat after a week.

 

[Mama Who]

DH is overly optimistic. I'm sorry, but I'd toss it.

 

[Monte Cristo]

Sorry, there's no way I would re-freeze it...what was the temp like inside it when you got home?

ETA: I would also toss it.

 

[KristaTX]

Okay. It's been sitting there unrefrigerated/unfrozen for a week? No way would I eat it. And you aren't ever supposed to re-freeze meat, are you?

I'm kind of surprised it doesn't smell atrocious. You must not live where it's 100 degrees every day now.

ETA: I'm picturing the freezer in the garage, but maybe it's inside the house. But I still wouldn't try to salvage anything in there.

 

[dzorn]

If you want food poisoning chow down.

Denise in MI

 

[FayeW]

If some of the meat was still partially frozen, the other stuff couldn't have been completedly defrosted for too long. I would use as much I could by pre-cooking and then freezing the cooked meat.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Ok, you all are agreeing with me too! Whew! I just can't bring myself to eat it. I had severe food poisoning in October and I don't ever, ever want to go through THAT again! But DH is being stubborn and saying that he'll eat it then. Men .

My mom taught me to never refreeze meat either. What a waste though! We spent a lot of money on it but it's not worth us getting sick over.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[karriemouse]

No way I would eat it and neither would DH who is a Dr. Sorry...

 

[Poohforyou]

If there were still ice crystals on it you could refreeze. Also if it had only been a day or 2 and the meat was still icy cold you could cook and freeze. In your case though it's beyond saving.

 

[sunnyday123]

Oh no. And if he does eat it, I'd make him do it at his parents house, so you don't have to deal with the spontaneous combustion of food poisioning.
My ex had it once, and it was horrific.

 

[John VN]

Frozen meat does not thaw as soon as the electricity is turned off. A good top load freezer can keep the meat frozen for days. Is any of the lower layers of meat cold or partially frozen? Might just have some salvageable meat in there.

 

[divabydisney]

Honestly, I've eaten thawed and refrozen meat several times... i didn't die.

BUT I don't know about organic meat. Also was it still cold, partially frozen, smelly? I'd call your local meat counter and see if there was a way to tell, maybe they have insight. I agree with pp, cook what you can, then refreeze, I'm thinking a 1/4 cow is quite a bit to be tossing.

 

[lajones81]

We just returned from vacation and saw that our separate freezer was unplugged! Almost all of the meat is thawed out completely. What stinks is that we just purchased an organic 1/4 cow before we left which is what is now defrosted! Is it safe to eat or refreeze?? My initial thought is no way but DH is insisting that it's ok.

 

[Michelle67]

I'm so sorry that happened to you. What a sad loss! I'm with you, though; you gotta call it a loss and move on. It just isn't worth taking the risk and getting sick!

 

[tvguy]

You sure it was only unplugged for a week?

How did it get unplugged?

USDA guidelines say if the temperature inside was 40 degrees or colder, it can be refrozen. Above 40 degrees toss it. You can't eyeball it.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/keeping_food_safe_during_an_emergency/index.asp

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Thanks again everyone.

Um, it's actually my fault that the freezer was unplugged...right before we left for vacation, I saw the gray plug in the outlet which just so happens to look like my Hoover Floormate plug and well...I unplugged it thinking it was the stupid floor cleaner machine instead of the freezer! DH finds it quite funny that I'm to blame. I do not. I don't know what I was thinking. I suppose I thought the freezer's plug was behind the unit??

We've decided to just toss it all. Ugh, it's seriously 150# of meat. I wish there were a way to save it but it's barely cold to the touch and that just makes me very nervous. Into the trash it's going, what a waste! I suppose $900 is worth it considering that we could all get sick. Looks like we're heading to Whole Foods tomorrow!

 

[goofyernmost]

If cold to the touch it should have been good to refreeze. If it were warm, well that another story. It is a common fallacy that items cannot be thawed out and refrozen...it depends on the temperature it got down to. If it only got to a refrigerated temperature and not lower for an extended period of time...it will be fine. Since you already tossed it, it is a mote point but I like to give my opinion.

 

[mickeysgal]

When is your garbage pickup? I'd plug the freezer back in until the night before/morning of your pickup, then throw the stuff in the garbage. Throwing it in the garbage now if there are a few days left until pickup and boy will the garbage stink! Your poor garbage man!

 

[spacemountainmom]

When is your garbage pickup? I'd plug the freezer back in until the night before/morning of your pickup, then throw the stuff in the garbage. Throwing it in the garbage now if there are a few days left until pickup and boy will the garbage stink! Your poor garbage man!

This!

I am sorry it happened to you. We had the same thing last year. We had some water come in the basement and dh used the shop vac to clean it up. He unplugged the freezer and forgot to plug it back in. We didn't notice it for about 5 days. A few things were semi-frozen and we just cooked those things up, but most had to be tossed. It is just sickening to throw the stuff, but much better than getting sick from eating it!