The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises: Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. ... If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

Can you not refreeze once defrosted?

Never refreeze raw meat (including poultry) or fish that has been defrosted. You can cook frozen meat and fish once defrosted, and then refreeze them. You can refreeze cooked meat and fish once, as long as they have been cooled before going into the freezer. If in doubt, do not refreeze.

Why is it important not to refreeze thawed food?

So thawed food will have some bacteria that can multiply at room temperature, meaning that if the food is refrozen, there will be an increase in bacterial count by the time it is thawed again. ... Thawing should always be done in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.