Thanksgiving dinner can take a couple weeks of preparation. With everything from picking out the perfect recipes for family and friends, and the hours of work that goes into bringing it all to the table, you deserve to get as much out of any leftovers you can. But sometimes, some of your best dishes might live a shorter shelf life than they otherwise would.
For every dish, theres a better way to keep it fresher for longer. Whether tradition or where youre storing it in the fridge limits the longevity of your leftovers, weve outlined a few ways you can keep the life in your leftovers a little longer below.
Thanksgiving Leftover Tips
Pie
Whether you picked up something from the store at the last minute, or blew the dust off a classic family recipe, few things are as sweet as leftover pie on a roomier stomach the next day. Whether youve having a slice with your morning coffee, or after dinner, the best way to keep it from going bad is to cut up whats left into individual slices.
You should then either cover each slice in either saran wrap or an air-tight container. This will help the pie retain its moisture better. Slicing it up will also help it to cool faster, which helps prevent bacteria from spoiling the food too soon. If youre storing it for longer than a week, wed recommend freezing it until youre ready to eat.
Turkey
Thanksgiving leftovers just arent really leftovers without the preservation of your most prized tender turkey. But for them to make it to your sandwiches or soups this week and next, youll want to first cut up the rest of the meat in lieu of storing it on the bonewhich can be an open invitation to bacteria. This is a great tutorial for carving a turkey the right way.
Its also a good idea to store the meat in more shallow containers. The more shallow the container, the less room there is for heat to gather. That means the meat will cool quicker, leaving less chance for bacteria to get in and ruin things. Storing Thanksgiving Leftovers
Thanksgiving dinner can take a couple weeks of preparation. With everything from picking out the perfect recipes for family and friends, and the hours of work that goes into bringing it all to the table, you deserve to get as much out of any leftovers you can. But sometimes, some of your best dishes might live a shorter shelf life than they otherwise would.
For every dish, theres a better way to keep it fresher for longer. Whether tradition or where youre storing it in the fridge limits the longevity of your leftovers, weve outlined a few ways you can keep the life in your leftovers a little longer below.
Thanksgiving Leftover Tips
Pie
Whether you picked up something from the store at the last minute, or blew the dust off a classic family recipe, few things are as sweet as leftover pie on a roomier stomach the next day. Whether youve having a slice with your morning coffee, or after dinner, the best way to keep it from going bad is to cut up whats left into individual slices.
You should then either cover each slice in either saran wrap or an air-tight container. This will help the pie retain its moisture better. Slicing it up will also help it to cool faster, which helps prevent bacteria from spoiling the food too soon. If youre storing it for longer than a week, wed recommend freezing it until youre ready to eat.
Turkey
Thanksgiving leftovers just arent really leftovers without the preservation of your most prized tender turkey. But for them to make it to your sandwiches or soups this week and next, youll want to first cut up the rest of the meat in lieu of storing it on the bonewhich can be an open invitation to bacteria. This is a great tutorial for carving a turkey the right way.
Its also a good idea to store the meat in more shallow containers. The more shallow the container, the less room there is for heat to gather. That means the meat will cool quicker, leaving less chance for bacteria to get in and ruin things.