As Americans turn to leftover turkey, stuffing and sides in the days after Thanksgiving, federal food safety officials are reminding families to properly store and reheat holiday dishes to avoid foodborne illness.
Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours of cooking, according to FoodSafety.gov. To cool food quickly and safely, officials recommend dividing leftovers into smaller portions and placing them in shallow, covered containers. Large containers of food or a whole turkey take too long to cool, allowing bacteria to multiply.
Turkey should be portioned before refrigerating to ensure it chills thoroughly.
FoodSafety.gov says letting food cool to room temperature before refrigerating is unnecessary and unsafe. In a recent USDA study, 76 percent of respondents said they would allow leftovers to cool first — a practice that increases the risk of contamination.
Leftovers keep safely in the refrigerator for three to four days. That gives families until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat or freeze them. Frozen leftovers will maintain peak quality for two to six months. Yet 31 percent of people in USDA research said they would eat leftovers kept longer than four days, raising the chance of spoilage.
To help track storage times, the USDA recommends using its FoodKeeper app, which offers storage guidance for more than 600 foods, preparation tips and product recall alerts.
When reheating leftovers, frozen dishes can go directly into the oven, stovetop or microwave without thawing, though reheating may take longer. All foods should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), confirmed with a food thermometer.
Reheating advice includes bringing sauces, soups and gravies to a rolling boil; covering and rotating food in the microwave; adding liquid if needed; venting microwave-safe covers; and checking temperatures in several spots to account for cold spots.
For additional questions, consumers can contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
