[Abby's Momoma]

:hungry: My dog prefers dryfood, but I like to feed her wetfood atleast once a day or every other day. Would storing the food in the freezer be okay, I mean would the freezing & thawing process ruin nutritional content?

 

[Willowy]

It won't ruin the nutritional content, but the texture might be a litte weird. Most dogs don't mind though . And I'm sure you know it, but don't freeze the can or it'll explode. Spoon the food in single-serving size onto some plastic wrap, and once it's frozen you can put the chunks in a ziploc bag.

And don't freeze, thaw, re-freeze---that isn't good for the nutrional content or the bacterial level. That's why it's best to freeze single servings.

 

[gingerkid]

It won't ruin the nutritional content, but the texture might be a litte weird. Most dogs don't mind though . And I'm sure you know it, but don't freeze the can or it'll explode. Spoon the food in single-serving size onto some plastic wrap, and once it's frozen you can put the chunks in a ziploc bag.

And don't freeze, thaw, re-freeze---that isn't good for the nutrional content or the bacterial level. That's why it's best to freeze single servings.

That re-freezing and re-thawing causes food to be unsafe is a myth. If previously frozen food is kept below 4C (~40F?) while thawing, re-freezing and thawing won't affect the bacterial level anymore than if you had left it in the fridge (That is, if the item is in the fridge for a total of 12 hours over the course of multiple thawing periods over the course of several weeks or days, the bacterial level will be about the same as if you'd just left it in the fridge for 12 straight hours). The reason most frozen food products state not to re-freeze previously frozen goods is actually because it changes the texture, and companies don't want people writing in to complain about how their peas have turned to mush after being thawed and re-frozen half a dozen times.

If you let it thaw in the fridge instead of on the counter you can refreeze as many times as you'd like and its no more dangerous than the total amount of time the item spends in the fridge.... actually probably less so since most bacteria (and especially any that make you sick, which are happiest at your body temperature) aren't exactly happy growing below 4C!

From the FSIS/USDA website:

Refreezing
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. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.

 

[Willowy]

Huh, you learn something new every day!

It would probably be a real pain waiting for the whole can to thaw before every meal, though. Might as well not freeze it at all.

 

[gingerkid]

Huh, you learn something new every day!

It would probably be a real pain waiting for the whole can to thaw before every meal, though. Might as well not freeze it at all.

Oh, I totally agree, I usually portion things out to freeze them. But I think people have a right to know that they don't have to throw away that chicken breast/pork chop/whatever just because its been thawed and they won't be able to use it.

 

[zhaor]

I'm curious.....how many cans do you plan on getting? I don't know about canned foods but the Trippet I just got has an expiration date of sometime in 2015......

 

[Willowy]

I think the OP means after the can has been opened. If you only use a tablespoon a day, a can might go bad in the fridge before you can use it all.

 

[zhaor]

I think the OP means after the can has been opened. If you only use a tablespoon a day, a can might go bad in the fridge before you can use it all.

:doh: yeah that makes more sense. :redface:

 

[Abby's Momoma]

It won't ruin the nutritional content, but the texture might be a litte weird. Most dogs don't mind though . And I'm sure you know it, but don't freeze the can or it'll explode. Spoon the food in single-serving size onto some plastic wrap, and once it's frozen you can put the chunks in a ziploc bag.

And don't freeze, thaw, re-freeze---that isn't good for the nutrional content or the bacterial level. That's why it's best to freeze single servings.

Oh believe me I wasn't gonna freeze the food in while it's in the can. Thanks for replying!