Eat it? Morningstar version
January 31, 2021 11:17 AM   Subscribe

Because Albertson's is terrible, I have 2 packages of thawed veggie patties. The package does say keep frozen ultil ready to use but can I refreeze or would it better to cook them all now and refrigerate or freeze the cooked product? There's no way to eat all of these today, of course.
posted by jojo and the benjamins to Food & Drink (7 answers total)
 
Best answer: You can refreeze, there will be some loss of texture/cohesion. I might think of them as something that will work better as "veggie crumbles" for whenever you decide to cook them up.
posted by jessamyn at 11:35 AM on January 31, 2021 [2 favorites]


I often deliberately mostly-thaw and refreeze Morningstar bacon strips because the damned things can be impossible to peel apart while frozen. So personally I'd just refreeze. (I know you're asking about patties and not strips, but still.)

(Obviously if they've been at room temperature for a while, there are food safety concerns and you should consider getting a refund and throwing them out. But I'm assuming that's not the case.)
posted by Syllepsis at 11:40 AM on January 31, 2021


Best answer: If it were me, I'd cook them, then freeze the cooked items. That's because I find it a lot more doable (faster, less planning required) to just microwave stuff before eating it.

I'm not sure about the ingredients in Morningstar's patties, but they might hold together better if you go ahead and cook them.

Also - I often just bake patties like that (e.g. the GimmeLean sausage) rather than frying on the stove. There's less cleanup, and I can cook everything at once. Just check the texture to make sure they're done enough - and make sure they're heated through and as brown as you want/expect.
posted by amtho at 11:43 AM on January 31, 2021 [2 favorites]


Why cook and refreeze? Ground beef will oxidize and/or spoil unless cooked, so I can see that for animal patties. But Morningstar is made of pretty stable grains/veggies. I bet they keep just fine in the "meat" drawer for at least a couple weeks, and that would be better than refreezing which could make them mushy.
posted by wnissen at 12:46 PM on January 31, 2021


If you have the freezer space, I'd make a batch of lasagna with it tomorrow, portion it into single/meal sized portions, and freeze it for lunches.
posted by Candleman at 2:11 PM on January 31, 2021


This happened to me on a family trip a few years ago - in laws did not realize they needed to be frozen. I cooked and ate some, refroze and then cooked and ate others. They were all fine. No real change in texture even.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:27 PM on January 31, 2021


I intentionally keep them in the fridge because being thawed shortens the cooking time. I've noticed no change in texture.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 11:13 AM on February 1, 2021


« Older How much should I pay a gardener in Oakland? Help...   |   Thin, large, men's dress socks that can be... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.