Have Thanksgiving Leftovers- How Long can You Keep Them

This Thanksgiving was a bit strange...for everyone.  Whether you were hosting a small gathering, or just doing what the CDC recommended and only celebrated Thanksgiving with your immediate family, there were probably a lot of people who were doing a Thanksgiving meal for the first time.

Some questions have come up as to how long you can keep your Thanksgiving leftovers.  Rule of thumb is generally to freeze your leftovers unless you are planning to eat them right away... or within at least 3-4 days after Thanksgiving.

The food that keeps the best are breads, some vegetables, desserts usually. The foods that you have to worry about a bit more is generally the  meat.  Remember, that it needed to be heated to at least 165 degrees.  The only exception would be if you decided to go less traditional and has some sort of beef for your meal. That is more on personal preference.  But poultry needs to be heated to 165.   I have heard of people thinking that they need to let food cool on the counter to room temperature before putting it into the freezer or fridge, but that is an "old wives tale". If you do that, it actually breeds more bacteria.  Food should never be left out more than 2 hours. And put it into cool/cold storage almost immediately.

Remember, if you are keeping any of your leftovers in the fridge  or in the freezer, it's best to write the date on the container.

The holiday season has just started. We can hope that things are better by Christmas, but I have my doubts.  So, keep this in mind when planning your celebration meal.