Thanksgiving leftovers can and should be safely stored this way

After Thanksgiving dinner, astir radical person an excess of food successful the location near over.

Cooking ample meals tin beryllium a mode to agelong your fund — past instrumentality a interruption from cooking and bask the leftovers for a fewer days.

So, however precisely should you store each this nutrient — and however agelong tin you safely devour leftovers? 

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Two nutrient experts shared astute leftover nutrient information guidelines.

Here’s what you request to cognize to enactment harmless — and to discarded arsenic small nutrient arsenic possible. 

After your Thanksgiving turkey, determination volition apt beryllium plentifulness of leftovers. (iStock)

How agelong tin cooked poultry, beef oregon seafood leftovers oregon vegetable-based dishes beryllium kept safely successful the fridge? 

If you're creating a meal with nutrient oregon seafood, beryllium definite to refrigerate leftovers successful a timely manner to sphere the meal. 

The leftovers should beryllium good for a fewer days. 

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"Our wide regularisation is that each cooked nutrient is harmless successful a refrigerator kept astatine 40 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 4 days," said Jesus Garcia, nationalist affairs specializer with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, successful Washington, D.C.

"By the 4th day, you should consume, frost it oregon discard it," helium said.

Why is simply a speedy table-to-fridge modulation aft serving truthful important?

All perishable items, including earthy and cooked nutrient and poultry, should beryllium refrigerated wrong 2 hours of coming retired of the refrigerator oregon being cooked, said Garcia.

"After 2 hours successful the 'danger zone,' which is temperatures betwixt 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria tin multiply to unsafe levels and origin the nutrient to go unsafe," Garcia told Fox News Digital. 

What are immoderate different ways to store leftovers safely?

It's important to interruption down ample meals similar turkey oregon roast beef into smaller portions and store them successful shallow containers truthful that items whitethorn chill faster, said Garcia.

It’s important to interruption down ample meals similar turkey oregon roast beef into smaller portions and store them successful shallow containers truthful that items whitethorn chill faster, said 1 nutrient information expert.  (iStock)

Other astute strategies are to screen leftovers, wrapper them successful airtight packaging oregon seal them successful retention containers, helium said. 

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"These practices assistance support bacteria out, clasp moisture and forestall leftovers from picking up odors from different nutrient successful the refrigerator. Immediately refrigerate oregon frost the wrapped leftovers for accelerated cooling," said Garcia.

Leftovers should ever beryllium enactment distant successful a retention instrumentality with a well-fitting lid oregon covered sufficiently successful airtight packaging to support bacteria out.

Vanessa Imus, a registered dietitian successful Bothell, Washington, told Fox News Digital that leftovers should ever beryllium enactment distant successful a retention instrumentality with a well-fitting lid oregon covered sufficiently successful airtight packaging to support bacteria out. 

She besides said it's precise important to chill nutrient quickly. 

"This means that if you person a large cookware of crockery oregon a ample chopped of meat, you'll request to interruption it down into smaller portions earlier placing it successful the refrigerator," Imus said.

After dinner, Thanksgiving turkey and different meats should beryllium breached down and stored successful the refrigerator. (iStock)

A full turkey placed successful the fridge volition instrumentality longer to chill than sliced meats enactment distant successful respective tiny containers, she said.

What are the informing signs you whitethorn request to flip the food?

You should not trust wholly connected show oregon odor to find if leftovers are edible and safe, Imus pointed out.

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"Although I've seen friends bash the 'sniff test,' that is not an close mode to measurement the information of your leftovers," she said. 

"Your nutrient whitethorn look perfectly fine, but that doesn't mean it is perfectly fine."

"You would overmuch alternatively beryllium harmless than sorry."

Instead, she agreed with Garcia astir sticking to the four-day rule. 

"If you didn't statement your nutrient and you can't retrieve erstwhile you primitively prepared it, past it's clip to propulsion it out," said Imus. 

"You would overmuch alternatively beryllium harmless than atrocious arsenic the hazard of nutrient poisoning goes up aft 4 days successful the refrigerator." 

What astir re-heating? Are determination protocols to use?

Always marque definite to reheat leftovers to 165 degrees, said Imus. 

(Any Thanksgiving leftovers should beryllium reheated to 165 degrees.)

"That means you'll request a thermometer to check. Since microwaves tin origin immoderate acold pockets, beryllium definite to disturbance and crook nutrient arsenic you reheat it," she added.

What astir the timing for each those vacation leftovers?

"The occupation that radical tally into is that they're busy hosting and entertaining and not paying attraction to however agelong nutrient is sitting out," Imus told Fox News Digital.  

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"Plus, the guests mightiness beryllium coming and going oregon lingering implicit the nutrient array passim the evening." 

She warned that this usually leads to nutrient sitting retired acold beyond the recommended two-hour clip limit. 

"Be definite to cheque the clip erstwhile you acceptable the nutrient retired and get it enactment distant successful the fridge wrong 2 hours. Better yet, acceptable a timer to punctual yourself," added Imus.

To support each household members and friends harmless this vacation season, "be definite to cheque the clip erstwhile you acceptable the nutrient retired and get it enactment distant into the fridge wrong 2 hours. Better yet, acceptable a timer to punctual yourself," said 1 expert. (iStock)

Garcia said Thanksgiving leftovers volition prolong you from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. 

"Reheating successful an oven oregon a microwave volition instrumentality longer for dense foods specified arsenic turkey oregon roast beef than for little dense foods similar breads and tiny vegetables," helium said.

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"Leftovers should scope a harmless interior somesthesia of 165 degrees Fahrenheit arsenic measured by a nutrient thermometer," he besides said.  

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The experts again emphasized breaking down the turkey oregon different ample dishes into smaller portions and storing those smaller portions successful shallow containers.

Other tips to know

Handwashing is the archetypal measurement to avoiding foodborne illness, said Garcia. 

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"Wash your hands for astatine slightest 20 seconds with soap and h2o before, during and aft handling food. Then pat adust with cleanable insubstantial towels," helium said.