For many people, the high point of Thanksgiving isn’t the big meal itself — it’s feasting on the turkey leftovers the next day! So how long can you safely keep Thanksgiving leftovers and what's the best way to store your leftover Thanksgiving turkey and all the fixings?
To keep your Thanksgiving leftovers fresher longer, you’ve first got to ensure that they’re being kept in a safe storage environment. Most Thanksgiving leftovers will stay fresh and tasty for at least a few days in the refrigerator and a month or more in the freezer.
• Refrigerate leftover Thanksgiving turkey, stuffing, gravy and other cooked side dishes within two hours of serving. It's okay to place warm food in the refrigerator.
• Carve leftover turkey meat off the bones before refrigerating. Place the leftover turkey and stuffing in separate containers.
• Divide leftover turkey and other cooked dishes into smaller portions and refrigerate or freeze in covered shallow containers for quicker cooling.
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Storage Time |
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Item |
Pantry |
Fridge |
Freezer |
|
Turkey — whole, cooked |
|
3-4 days |
2-3 months |
|
Gravy — homemade |
|
3-4 days |
2-3 months |
|
Cranberry sauce |
|
10-14 days |
1-2 months |
|
Stuffing — cooked |
|
3-4 days |
1 month |
|
Mashed potatoes or yams; green bean casserole |
|
3-5 days |
10-12 months |
|
Pumpkin pie — baked |
|
3-4 days |
1-2 months |
|
Apple pie — baked |
2 days |
2-3 days after pantry storage |
1-2 months |
|
Wine, red or white — opened bottle |
|
3-5 days |
1-2 months |
|
Bread — soft-crusted |
4 -5 days |
|
2-3 months |
|
hard-crusted |
1 -2 days |
|
2-3 months |
|
|
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*Freezer time shown is for best quality only — foods kept constantly frozen at 0° F will keep safe indefinitely.
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