Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
NEW YORK — Ask most Americans about Thanksgiving and they'll likely tell you that one of the best parts of the holiday isn't so much the original meal but enjoying the leftovers afterward. However, food isn't meant to last forever.
Read on to learn how long food can stay out after the meal is served, proper refrigerator timing and techniques, and safe reheating for those day-after meals.
Typical Thanksgiving leftovers
Most traditional Thanksgiving meals include the same dishes — turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and other vegetables. And there are the desserts.
By the day's end, your table and countertops are probably filled with all kinds of food. And that's where the challenge with Thanksgiving leftovers comes in. With packaged food, you might have a best-by-date printed on the label, but leftovers don't have this. You're really on your own with knowing if they are still good or not. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
Hot Thanksgiving dishes
The centerpiece of the traditional Thanksgiving meal is the turkey. Ideally, whoever made it cooked it to the proper temperature — and that's 165 F, according to Stephanie Smith, a consumer food safety specialist at Washington State University School of Food Science. Just like with the stuffing, especially if you stuffed the turkey with it. Smith said, "It's best to remove the stuffing and heat in a separate dish for your Thanksgiving meal so all juices from the turkey are cooked to the proper temperature. Any undercooked juices could make you ill."
Also, once the food is served, the clock starts for how long leftovers are safe to consume outside the oven. This includes the main course, sides and even pies served hot.
"Leftovers should be promptly refrigerated within two hours of cooking your Thanksgiving meal," advised Joan Salge Blake, a nutrition professor and registered dietitian nutritionist at Boston University. The United States Department of Agriculture concurs. It says that after two hours, perishable food enters the danger zone where bacteria can multiply quickly and cause food to become unsafe. The one exception to the two-hour rule? Using chafing dishes or other serving platters designed to keep food hot for many hours.
Maybe you made a second entree of pork chops with apples and stuffing in the slow cooker. Many slow cookers have a warm setting that keeps food at a safe temperature after cooking. So you can enjoy these kinds of hot leftovers for much longer. For food that was served hot and left out on the table, if more than two hours have passed, toss that food in the trash.
Cold or room-temperature food
With food at room temperature —sourdough bread, cranberry sauce from a can or already-baked cookies — it is OK to nibble on them throughout the day. However, anything served cold or on ice, such as a shrimp cocktail appetizer, needs to stay cold. This way it remains at a safe temperature for eating.
Proper storage for Thanksgiving leftovers
When it comes to filling your storage containers with Thanksgiving leftovers, smaller ones are better. "Leftovers should be packaged with small portions in shallow containers," Smith of Washington State University advised. "This allows for plenty of air circulation to cool the food."
This includes your turkey. Don't shove the whole bird in the refrigerator and think you're good to go. You're not. "The leftover turkey should be refrigerated in smaller pieces in containers to allow for a quicker cooling," added Blake.
Also, don't overstuff your refrigerator. According to Scientific American, you should leave space between containers for cold air to circulate. Without that air circulation, your food may not cool down properly, and that's when bacterial growth begins.
Also, you may want to place labels on the leftovers like Michelle Price of Honest and Truly does. This helps her know what is in each container. Plus, she adds the calendar date of Thanksgiving so she knows how long each food item has been in the refrigerator. This latter point is important for knowing when to toss leftovers. That timeline might be sooner than you expect.
According to FoodSafety.gov, "Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later." If you don't think you'll get to those refrigerated leftovers by day four, freeze them instead of throwing them away. You can store leftovers for up to six months.
"Freezing will not only allow you to enjoy your Thanksgiving feast at another time," Blake from Boston University added, "but also not contribute to your town's landfill." You should compost anything you can't freeze, such as salad greens, to keep the food out of the waste stream.
How to handle and reheat leftovers
When you're ready to enjoy leftovers from the refrigerator, look for any signs of mold, discoloration or an unusual texture. Smell the food for any sour scents. If anything seems questionable, it's best to discard those leftovers.
Assuming everything passes the visual and sniff test, ensure you heat leftovers to a proper temperature. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that meat and other leftovers reach at least 165 F.
Frozen leftovers can be thawed in the refrigerator before heating. Once microwaved or heated, eat the leftovers right away. If you don't finish everything you've heated up, you can't refreeze the food or store it in the refrigerator. It is destined for the trash. This reinforces the earlier tip about storing leftovers in smaller containers, making it easier to reheat and not waste food.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The contents of this article are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. The content presented here is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or dietary changes. Reliance on any information provided by this article is solely at your own risk.
