4 Tips To Help Keep Your Thanksgiving Leftovers Safe
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and one of the best parts of having a big meal is the leftovers. I, for one, typically don't love leftovers, but Thanksgiving is an exception.
My favorite part of leftovers is "guess what's in this Cool Whip container". If you are anything like our family, we use the old butter containers, the Cool Whip containers, and even the hoarded sour cream containers that my mother has so graciously washed and kept aside, as storage for any leftovers.
When indulging in the leftover sweet potatoes or stuffing, or looking for that last piece of dark meat to make a sandwich, you may want to think about how long these leftovers have been in the fridge.
Foodsaftety.com has all the tips you need to know in order to enjoy all the delicious leftovers and do it safely. Here are 4 tips to help you keep yourself and your family safe.
Tip 1: Try and put the perishable food into smaller portions; put them in a shallow container, and of course stash it in the fridge or freezer, within 2 hours after dinner.
Tip 2: It's super important to make sure that the container or Ziploc/Saran wrap you are using is airtight. You want to keep bacteria out and moisture in, and make sure that your food isn't picking up odors from other food in the fridge. No one likes a dessert salad that tastes like stuffing.
Tip 3: As nice as it is to have leftovers for days and days, you really should only refrigerate for 3-5 days. If you haven't finished them by then, you can put them in the freezer.
Tip 4: Freezing your leftovers is your best choice if you have a small family but prepared a large meal, or if half the family couldn't make it. You will have 3-4 months before you start to really lose moisture and flavor.
Hopefully, these tips will help when it comes to having your 20th turkey sandwich and your mother is telling you to have another.
Happy Thanksgiving!
cc: Foodsafety.com