From UF/IFAS
In Summary:
Thanksgiving leftovers can quickly become unsafe if they sit out for more than 2 hours or aren’t cooled and stored properly. UF professor Keith Schneider emphasizes keeping hot dishes hot, cold dishes cold, and using shallow containers to speed cooling. From turkey and stuffing to salads and pies, each dish requires specific handling to avoid foodborne illness after the holiday meal.
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You’ve bought the turkey. You’ve prepped the brine. You’ve maybe even baked and frozen the pies. You’re ready for Thanksgiving dinner.
Related: Save Room for Thanksgiving Feasts with a Light, Savory Bite.
But have you thought about being prepared for leftovers?
Leftover safety for a larger-than-life meal like Thanksgiving can be a food safety minefield. University of Florida expert Keith Schneider, professor of food safety, says it can be an often-overlooked part of the Thanksgiving meal.
Since Thanksgiving spreads are larger and have more moving parts, they tend to sit out for longer. In addition, they tend to serve large groups, which amplifies the risk of food poisoning.
“What you don’t want to do is spoil a family get-together by getting people sick,” he said. “But a few moments of planning and awareness can help prevent a big mistake.”
In general, he said, keep hot items hot and cold items cold during serving and throughout dinner – a simple-enough rule of thumb. The USDA advises never leaving food at room temperature for more than two hours.
Meat in particular can contain Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium that can cause cramps and diarrhea or more serious concerns, and it is most commonly found in food poisoning situations due to its ability to survive cooking temperatures. If food is allowed to sit out for extended periods, for example, beyond the two hours recommended by the USDA, it can multiply and cause foodborne illness.
In general, a helpful tip is to take a few minutes between dinner and dessert to put items away so they stay safe – and you get time to enjoy treats without the worry.
Here’s how to store Thanksgiving leftovers, dish by dish:
Turkey:
The star of the show! Turkey should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, sliced, and held at 140 degrees until serving. A buffet heater tray is a nice way to keep sliced turkey at the right temperature while a large group serves themselves.
Two hours after removing the turkey from the oven, or less, it should be sliced, placed in a shallow container, and refrigerated. The turkey should be cooler by then – around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t put hot food into the refrigerator, or it will raise the fridge's ambient temperature and prompt other food to spoil, Schneider said.
This advice also applies to ham or other non-traditional cuts of meat, like beef brisket.
In the fridge, cooked meat is safe for between three and five days. Turkey and ham can also be put in freezer bags and frozen for up to six months.
Gravy:
Gravy can be tricky when it comes to food safety, Schneider said. It should be cooked until 165 degrees Fahrenheit and held at 135 degrees or higher for serving. When guests are done, put it into small, shallow containers and refrigerate.
People tend to put gravy in large, tall containers, which causes the outside to cool while the inside stays extremely hot. This leads to pathogens growing that could cause food poisoning. Refrigerators are good at keeping food cold but not good at removing heat. Using shallow containers will speed up cooling, Schneider said.
Stuffing:
Stuffing should be cooked separately from the turkey for maximum safety, but if you have a cooking tradition you must adhere to, here’s how to do it safely.
After the turkey reaches 165 degrees, remove the stuffing from the cavity, put it in a separate dish, and reheat it in the oven until 165 degrees. Since the inside of a bird heats up last, it’s likely the stuffing won’t get hot enough while inside the turkey, so reheating is critical.
Once the stuffing is served and bellies are full, place it in a shallow dish and refrigerate or freeze it.
This also applies to dishes that are wetter and mixed with multiple ingredients, like mashed potatoes, cut potatoes, and casseroles.
Be aware that wet dishes, like green bean casserole, will cool more slowly than drier dishes. Smaller-cut potatoes will also cool faster than larger chunks, so they need to be refrigerated more quickly.
Roasted vegetables:
While these mostly follow the same principles as stuffing, the high moisture content presents some additional challenges.
Once they’ve cooled, they need to be refrigerated within two hours. Keeping them hot during serving and throughout dinner via a buffet heater tray or chafing dish helps with this.
Salad
Salads should be kept chilled until serving and stored in the refrigerator as soon as possible after dinner – within 2 hours of coming out of the fridge. Given their high moisture content and the lack of cooking, they can be a key culprit for dinner-related food poisoning.
“If you’re leaving salads out, that can be an issue if someone eats them for leftovers the next day,” he said.
Pies
Food safety varies by pie type – the wetter, the more cautious you need to be.
Pies like pecan have essentially no water and are low-risk, Schnieder said.
But other pies, like pumpkin, have lots of moisture and should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Protect yourself and your family this year with a bit of careful planning, not only for Thanksgiving dinner but also for the leftovers that follow.
Key Points:
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Food should never sit at room temperature for more than two hours, according to USDA guidelines.
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Turkey should be cooked to 165°F, sliced, cooled to about 140°F, and refrigerated in shallow containers; leftovers last 3–5 days or up to six months frozen.
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Gravy must be held above 135°F during serving and cooled in small, shallow containers to prevent pathogen growth.
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Moist dishes like stuffing, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and roasted vegetables cool slowly and need prompt refrigeration in shallow dishes.
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Moist pies such as pumpkin require refrigeration within two hours, while low-moisture pies like pecan are lower-risk.
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human, and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries and all Florida residents.
