Is there anything better than a gigantic Thanksgiving feast? Well, actually there is in my opinion — sneakily picking at the leftovers for the next couple of days. Sure, it's easy to incorporate all of the leftovers into other meals in the days following Thanksgiving, but it's also kind of satisfying to slyly pick off a piece of turkey every now and then.
Problems can arise, however, if you do not store said leftovers correctly. First and foremost, you don't want to make yourself sick. If not stored properly, all cooked food can become a breeding ground for bacteria over time. Also, mixing raw and cooked ingredients can promote cross-contamination, which is a recipe for disaster.
Another factor is storing your food to best maintain quality so that all of your time an effort isn't wasted. In many cases, there is absolutely no reason why those dishes shouldn't taste just as good a few days later, sometimes even better, but you've got to save everything the right way.
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Here is a complete guide for storing your Thanksgiving leftovers, answering the hows, the wheres and the whys so you can draw out that perfect Thanksgiving dinner even longer.
1. How Long Can Leftovers Be Stored?
It all comes down to what it is you want to keep. It’s a best to refrigerate turkey, gravy, stuffing and other cooked dishes within about two hours of serving. There’s nothing wrong with putting warm food in the fridge, but how long will it last?
Turkey — Whole, Cooked:
Fridge: 3-4 days
Freezer*: 2-3 months
Gravy — Homemade:
Fridge: 1-2 days
Freezer*:2-3 months
Cranberry Sauce:
Fridge: 10-14 days
Freezer*: 1-2 months
Stuffing — Cooked:
Fridge: 3-4 days
Freezer*: 1 month
Mashed Potatoes or Yams; Green Bean Casserole:
Fridge: 3-5 days
Freezer*: 10-12 months
Pumpkin pie — Baked:
Fridge: 3-4 days
Freezer*: 1-2 months
Apple pie — Baked:
Pantry: 2 days
Fridge: 2-3 days after pantry storage
Freezer*: 1-2 days
Wine, Red or White — Opened Bottle:
Fridge: 3-5 days
Freezer*: 1-2 months
Bread — Soft-Crusted:
Pantry: 4-5 days
Freezer*: 2-3 months
Bread — Hard-Crusted:
Pantry: 1-2 days
Freezer*: 2-3 months
*Freezer time shown is for best quality only — foods kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe pretty much indefinitely.
2. Don't Try To Stick an Entire Leftover Turkey in Your Fridge or Freezer
It's always best to carve leftover turkey meat from the bones and cut it into smaller pieces before storing it. Not only does it make life easier from a logistical point of view, the meat will stay moist longer, too. Also, if you are freezing your leftovers, you wont have to try and finish the entire turkey in one go.
3. Store Leftover Cranberry Sauce in Glass or Plastic
This might seem like an obvious one, but some people also spread it over the turkey before storing, however, that's not a particularly great idea. If you put leftover cranberry sauce in a glass or plastic container and cover it, it will last a lot longer in the fridge than the turkey will. This means you can freeze the turkey and store the cranberry sauce in the fridge and it will still be fine to use a week or two later.
4. Remove Stuffing From Turkey Before Refrigerating
Obviously, if you have cut your turkey into smaller pieces, you would have already removed the stuffing, but make sure your store the stuffing separately from the leftover turkey to avoid cross-contamination.
5. Don't Bother Freezing Whole Cooked Potatoes
You'll just be wasting your time. It's a simple fact, mashed potatoes freeze well, whole baked or roasted potatoes don't.
6. Contrary to Popular Belief, Pumpkin Pie Freezes Just Fine
We know that you should put leftover pumpkin pie in the fridge, but a lot of people believe that you can't freeze it, however, that just simply isn't true. You can store a baked pumpkin pie in the freezer and, although the texture might be slightly affected, it should taste exactly the same.
7. Apple Pie Can Be Left Out For a Couple of Days, But Pumpkin Pie Can't
Leftover pumpkin pie needs to be refrigerated almost immediately, but this isn't the case with apple pie. A pumpkin pie's ingredients stay moist, which promotes the growth of bacteria, but the contents of an apple pie will dry out so it is safe to leave it out on the counter for a day or two. If you want to freeze leftover pie, it's best to wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or better still, place the pie in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
8. There's Nothing Wrong with Freezing Leftover Wine
Sure, it may not maintain the same body or bouquet, but refrigerated or frozen wine is still a perfect cooking ingredient, especially over the colder months in soups, stews and sauces.
9. Don't Keep Bread in the Fridge
It's perfectly fine to leave bread out, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with freezing it, but bread shouldn't be refrigerated because doing that will make it dry out and become stale. If you want to keep bread for an extended period of time, just put it in the freezer. Sure, you'll have to wait for it to thaw, but it won't go stale or grow mould.
