Partially heat and then refreeze

ethan

ethan

ethan

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Can you partially microwave frozen food to separate it and then re-freeze? The reason I ask is I quite often buy a box of vegetarian bacon. There are eight slices in the box but when you only want two of them they are inseparable because they are all frozen together. It's the same with buying a pack of six oatcakes and then placing them in the freezer for later use. You want two, not six at any one time and you have to chisel them apart if you don't heat them to separate.
 
In future bag whatever it is in portion sizes first before feeding.


For quorn you'll be fine just might not taste as good depending how warm it got.

Bowl of cold water in the fridge defrosts stuff super fast too nyw
 
In future bag whatever it is in portion sizes first before feeding.
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Yeah thats fine with the oatcakes

Just checked they are smoky bacon style rashers made with rehydrated soya protein, with a bacon style seasoning that come frozen.
 
ethan said:
vegetarian bacon
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Sorry, no such thing.

I've always believed you can't refreeze stuff without completely cooking it first. The microwave will partially cook stuff, even on a defrost setting.
 
ethan said:
Can you partially microwave frozen food to separate it and then re-freeze? The reason I ask is I quite often buy a box of vegetarian bacon. There are eight slices in the box but when you only want two of them they are inseparable because they are all frozen together. It's the same with buying a pack of six oatcakes and then placing them in the freezer for later use. You want two, not six at any one time and you have to chisel them apart if you don't heat them to separate.
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It's not recommended, though what's more important is that anything that is subsequently cooked is properly cooked all the way through. You would be better off cooking the lot, putting what you don't want into the fridge for later. Even better would be to bag it up into portions before you freeze it, so you just take out what you need instead of dealing with frozen together blocks of too much food.
 
The point is I can't bag anything up I to appropriately sized portions because they arrive frozen. Current UK policy is to place said items in chiller for up to three days. That's means I would have to consume eight slices in three days which isn't what I would like to do.
In contradiction to what is advised in the UK, Americans state it's fine to reheat as long as the temperature remains below 40.

The only thing I was thinking was to defrost in a microwave for 10-15 seconds so I could pry the slices apart and then repoportion back in to the freezer at more manageable levels.
 
Knife in the top, bang top of knife, bacon comes free

I wouldn't do it with meat, unless I cooked it first then froze it again.
 
Delvis said:
Knife in the top, bang top of knife, bacon comes free

I wouldn't do it with meat, unless I cooked it first then froze it again.
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Except it doesn't. It breaks in to unmanageable pieces because the slices are thin and you'll damage your hand trying. It arrives as a frozen slab.
 
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Don't worry about it. I do it all time. Never had food poisonimg.

Have to remember this sort of advice is worst case scenario and covering your back.
 
bremen1874 said:
If they're Americans then presumably that's Fahrenheit so still pretty cold.
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Yeah that's pretty much what I would be expecting if I separated the items by heating for ten seconds in a microwave. They say if there are frozen crystals across the surface it would be safe. Of course this is in contradiction to UK recommendations which are tighte, giving no margin for error.
 
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TBH it's not as if it's meat so shouldn't really make you ill if you defrost it for a few seconds then freeze it again. I just wouldn't do it with raw meat.
 
In this scenario you should allow it to defrost slightly, separate the slices and then throw them in the bin. Vegetarian bacon is wrong.
 
ethan said:
Lol I think not. They are made with Soya :p

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/gb/groceries/sainsburys-vegetarian-smoky-bacon-rashers-150g?dclid=CLfGzMLd6N0CFdfhGwodPdACnA&langId=44&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrszdBRDWARIsAEEYhrdJom1QExV03p33neSz0tJoeyXaJU9Epckfn5QCCCjmAWVZSqmdRasaAo8rEALw_wcB&storeId=10151&krypto=X867YI2Pr2rPXCDHdfVj9tMMcUKyT8dQjVeGZnQP9fAij8NUBsAIuUI7Vd1hegQxrjCCkY6RKyJMJrMNpacRGQkz7y3v4RDqLhO4cn7yuhfQRdEmtmqVgU68DibX35T3nhEgcw2r3MDnuQ7u5/fTt5T7LNJfoTGjZaqXt7zDgi50uaATJ1HCDdFpbUf+4hO2SLYCvyOHy44c0OH2HDgSM4KdtKge6lmLr6gMwpg8qQE=&ddkey=https:gb/groceries/sainsburys-vegetarian-smoky-bacon-rashers-150g

It actually says defrost at room temperature and place back in the freezer once separated online but not on the package.
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From that linked page:

Ingredients
Rehydrated Textured Soya Protein (66%) (Water, Soya Protein, Potato Starch, Wheat Gluten, Dicalcium Phosphate, Colour: Iron Oxide; Sodium Metabisulphite (Sulphites)), Water, Rapeseed Oil, Dried Free Range Egg White, Yeast Extract, Soya Protein, Salt, Smoked Dextrose, Sugar, Maltodextrin (Wheat), Garlic Powder, Colour: Iron Oxide; Spice Extracts: Black Pepper Extract, Paprika Extract, Coriander Extract, Nutmeg Extract, Pimento Extract, Chilli Extract, Clove Extract.
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