I’ve got a bag of frozen, pre-made meatballs that I bought some time back to eat with pasta. Unfortunately, I didn’t go through them as quickly as I thought I would, and then I failed to notice that the bag was not sealed properly in my freezer.
Result: My frozen meatballs are now freeze-dried meatballs. Completely dehydrated.
I attempted to “fix” them by putting them in a bowl of water and microwaving them, hoping they’d absorb the water. It worked, somewhat, but they were still a bit “chewy”.
They’re never gonna be as good as they were before being dried out. Freeze-drying permanently alters the protein structures in the meat, so just replacing the lost water isn’t going to un-do that.
They wouldn’t be dangerous to eat, or anything, assuming you’re thawing them properly. Just … not as tasty.
You might also consider making a new batch of meatballs or meat loaf and mixing your (chopped up) old ones in.
However, I usually find that food damaged this much in the freezer doesn’t just have a different texture, but a different flavor. That’s a deal-breaker for me.