Can frozen fruit be refrozen? - How to do it safely?

I know I can’t be the only one who has taken my bag of frozen berries out of the freezer to make a smoothie and forgotten to put it back in the freezer.

If you’ve ever been through that, or maybe you’ve had a power outage or just a long hot ride home from the grocery store, you’ll have noticed the warning on the back of the bag telling you not to. you should refreeze if it has thawed completely.

So, can frozen fruit be refrozen?

Well, despite that warning and other myths you may have heard over the years, you can refreeze frozen fruit, but if you do, you should be aware of the safety and quality control issues involved. the refreezing process.

Guidelines for refreezing frozen fruit

When it comes to refreezing any frozen food, there are two main concerns: safety and quality. Obviously, it’s possible to refreeze frozen fruit, but if it’s going to put your health or the enjoyment of the food at risk, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth it.

All foods have water, and fruit usually has more than average. When water freezes, it turns to ice. As you can imagine, when the water inside your food freezes, it also turns into ice.

These ice crystals destroy the integrity of the cell walls that make up your food . This is why many frozen foods become soft and mushy when thawed: their strength has been compromised. If you’ve ever let a frozen raspberry thaw on the counter, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Adding to the problem is the fact that when ice crystals melt upon thawing, they create a lot of moisture and can leave food soggy. Once the fruit is thawed, if it is placed back in the freezer, there is even more room for ice crystals to form, which can lead to an even worse outcome.

Safety issues when refreezing fruit and other foods

The refreezing process is not inherently dangerous. The danger comes from the risk of contamination and degradation that occurs after the food is defrosted.

Freezing does not kill bacteria or mold, so if food is frozen after a contaminant has entered it, it will continue to multiply as soon as it is thawed. 

Protein products are much more dangerous than fruits, because bacteria feed on protein. However, mold feeds on carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, which is what fruits are mostly made of.

Mold isn’t likely to make you seriously ill, but it certainly doesn’t taste tasty and can have consequences, so you’ll obviously want to prevent it from taking over your fruit.

If you have to refreeze frozen fruit, you have two options: cook it first, or refreeze it as soon as possible, before bacteria or mold can take hold. 

Cooking the food basically makes it a new food, so freezing it now is the same as freezing it for the first time. Just make sure it’s cooled to room temperature before you freeze it. Never freeze hot food, even lukewarm, because it can partially thaw nearby food, opening the window for bacteria/mold growth that you’re trying to avoid.

If you don’t want to cook the fruit, you can refreeze it as long as you thaw it in the fridge and don’t leave it on the counter or above 40ºF. You’ll also need to make sure to refreeze it within 2 days, 3 at the most. Other than that, you’re just asking for trouble.

You’ll also want to make sure you use quality airtight containers (like my Amazon favorites) or a good double-zip freezer bag.

Concern about the quality of refreezing fruit and other foods

Now you know what happens to food when frozen, and that fruit tends to have a fairly high water content, so you can probably imagine that when thawed, it won’t be anywhere near as crunchy and with the same texture. than when it was fresh.

In fact, very often fruit comes out of the freezer on the soft side, making it ideal for baking, putting into smoothies or soups, or using pureed and soft in any other way you fancy.

If you refreeze it, the strength and elasticity will be further compromised , which isn’t a problem for use in the kitchen, but it’s pretty much a guarantee that it won’t come out of the freezer again in anything more than a welded clump of fruit.

If you refreeze more than once, you’re more likely to notice a difference in flavor, and the nutrition will drop substantially each time the fruit is thawed.

Refreeze fruit juice

Fruit juice is a little different from whole fruit, or pieces of fruit. Juice concentrates may be more difficult to dissolve perfectly with water, but they will be safe to consume as long as they are thawed in your fridge and kept below 40F.

That said, fermentation occurs more quickly in fruit juices due to their high sugar content, so you want to make sure you refreeze as soon as possible to keep your fruit juice as fresh as possible, and definitely don’t leave it out. out on the counter in the hot summer air.

If you notice any strange colors, odors, or viscosity, it’s a good idea to discard the juice and start with a fresh batch. 

How to freeze fruit so you don’t have to refreeze it

If you don’t want to deal with a fruit that is too soft or a lot of fruit that you have to consume at once, the key is to freeze the fruit so that it is easy to defrost only what you need for a single use.

Just like when you buy good quality frozen fruit from the supermarket, if each piece or berry is frozen separately before dumping it out along with all the other pieces and berries, it will remain individual, meaning you can take out just the pieces you want. , rather than trying to chisel a chunk out of a large block or thaw all of the frozen content to get what you need.

Also, if you freeze the pieces individually, each one will freeze faster than if they were a collective squashed group.  The faster the fruit freezes, the smaller the ice crystals that form and the better the fruit will keep intact when thawed.

Actually, it is not that difficult to achieve these individualized results. It just requires a little extra commitment.

as fresh as possible

The first rule of thumb for freezing fruit is to freeze it as fresh as possible.  If you grow it yourself, that’s the best case: just pick it when it’s perfectly ripe, cut it into pieces and freeze it.

If you don’t grow it yourself, it’s best to shop at local farmers’ markets, or at the very least, find local options at your favorite grocery store. The problem with fruit coming from Mexico when you live in New York, for example, is that the fruit is picked when it’s not quite ripe, then shipped and probably stored for a few days. When you receive it, it’s probably been a week since it was picked, and by then much of the nutritional value has been lost.

Uses ascorbic-citric acid

You’ll also want to stock up on ascorbic-citric acid, which you should be able to find in the canning section of your supermarket. Ascorbic-citric acid helps preserve the integrity of your fruit once cut. It prevents the fruit from ripening further, protects it from oxidation (which is what turns apples brown), and keeps the vitamins and nutrients inside the fruit where they belong.

Dry packaging of the fruit

Dry packing is what allows the fruit to be frozen in individual pieces, rather than frozen together as a group . You can choose to freeze the fruit unsweetened or sweetened, but adding sugar will help prevent changes in texture and color.

If you don’t use sugar, simply use 1 tablespoon of ascorbic-citric acid for every 4 cups of fruit. If you add sugar, add the ascorbic-citric acid to the sugar and let the fruit sit for about 10 minutes for the sugar to absorb. How much sugar you use really depends on your taste preferences and how sweet or sour the fruit is naturally.

In either case, just mix the fruit with the acid and sugar, if you’re going to use it, and then spread the chunks evenly on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or baking sheet so that they do not touch each other.

freeze fast

The faster you can freeze the fruit, the smaller the ice crystals will be and the better quality the fruit will be when you thaw it. Freezing in individual pieces helps the fruit freeze faster, but you’ll also need to make sure there’s space in the freezer for air to circulate, which also increases how quickly it freezes.

If you have more fruit than will fit in a single tray, prepare and freeze one tray at a time. The individual pieces will only take 20-30 minutes to freeze and then you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag or freezer-safe container.

If you use a bag, pack the fruit in tight and remove as much air as possible. If you’re using a Tupperware or glass container, pack the fruit in tight so there isn’t much air space between the pieces, but there is 1-inch headroom at the top of the container.

Once a tray is frozen and transferred, you can prepare and freeze the next batch.

How to defrost frozen fruit

If you think there’s any chance you’ll refreeze the fruit after thawing it, be sure to let it thaw in the fridge and always keep it below 40F. As long as the fruit stays cold, bacteria and mold will not grow and it will still be safe to refreeze.

Even if you don’t refreeze the fruit, it’s a good idea to let it thaw slowly in the fridge. This is also the slowest method, but it is the most secure option. If you know that you are going to use the fruit, try to remember to take it out of the freezer the night before you need it, and in the morning it will be defrosted.

It’s always a good idea to place your bag or container of frozen fruit on a plate or inside a larger container in your fridge to catch any water or juice that may come out in the thawing process.

If you find yourself in a bind and need to thaw the fruit in a hurry, you can soak the frozen fruit in cold water. This is almost as safe as thawing it in the fridge, but it’s hard to guarantee it won’t go above 40F. However, it is quite a bit faster.

Make sure the fruit is safely contained in a waterproof bag or container, then submerge it in a bowl of cold water. Check it every half hour and drain the water to add fresh, cold water to prevent it from getting hot. As soon as the fruit is thawed enough to use, use what you need and quickly store the rest in the fridge.

If you can’t wait for the fruit to thaw, you can thaw it in the microwave, but if you do, you shouldn’t refreeze it unless you cook or bake it first. This is the least reliable way to thaw fruit, so keep an eye on it carefully. Work in short bursts of 1 minute or less, stirring as soon as possible to help distribute the heat.

Related questions

Can meat be frozen twice?

You probably shouldn’t freeze meat twice. Proteins are bacteria’s favorite food, so unless you’re 100% sure your meat hasn’t been exposed to any bacteria, it’s best to cook it after thawing it the first time.

If you buy previously frozen meat at your local grocery store, it should have been packaged in a food-safe environment, so it’s safe to refreeze. If you thaw it and then cook it, then yes, you can refreeze it. Aside from safety, when you freeze meat the quality degrades, so if you freeze it twice, you’re more likely to end up with tough, dry meat.

Can ice cream be refrozen?

You should not refreeze the ice cream. When melted, the physical structure of this delicious dessert changes and the fat is separated from the water. Even if you mix it, it won’t recombine, so the refrozen ice cream will end up with large chunks of ice inside and an overall unpleasant texture.

It can also be dangerous. Listeria is a type of bacteria that is especially attracted to dairy products and is not killed by freezing. You better go ahead and eat your ice cream nice and fast. You know you want to do it.

Is frozen fruit as healthy as fresh?

Frozen fruit is picked when ripe and frozen immediately, keeping most of the vitamins safe inside the fruit. Water-soluble vitamins, such as B and C, will decrease slightly, but not completely. Fresh fruit picked from your own garden and eaten immediately will be even more nutritious.

Fresh fruit from a local source picked early in the day will likely be healthier as well. Fruit that has traveled days to get to you will have lost much of its nutritional value along the way, so frozen fruit may be a better option in this case.