How to make Thanksgiving leftovers stay Fresh and Last Longer

Thanksgiving day is over, and there is plenty of food to ensure everyone enjoyed the meal. Now you are faced with all of the leftovers from the feast. What is the best way to keep the leftovers so they stay fresh and last longer.

Many times, even though we diligently packed all of the leftovers into the refrigerator, a few days later, the danger is we forget about them or a faced with endless turkey sandwiches.

Luckily there are a few useful and easy tips to help guide you on the best practices on how to store the Thanksgiving leftovers.

Airtight Containers

Keep all leftovers in airtight, leakproof clear containers.

Divide leftovers

Divide leftovers into small, flat containers to let cool faster.

Some bacteria spores survive the cooking process and may grow back if the food stays at room temperature too long.

Refrigerate quickly

Store leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible, within two hours of cooking.

It's not necessary to wait for hot foods to reach room temperature before refrigerating them, because modern refrigerators are strong enough to handle the heat, not a problem at all.

Of course don't expect to fill your fridge with mountains of hot food without increasing the temperature inside.

The key is to cool the foods as quickly as possible then get them chilling in the refrigerator.

Separate stuffing

Scoop the stuffing from the turkey and keep it refrigerated in a separate container.

Leave them together, they cool more slowly, and they stay at room temperature longer, which can cause danger later.

Cranberry sauce

Put leftover cranberry sauce into a small air-tight container, if you are not going to use it soon, freeze it, otherwise keep it refrigerated. Don't store it in the can, which can add unpleasant metal taste.

Circulation

Don't fill up your refrigerator completely with leftovers, and make it really difficult for air to move around.

Without circulation, cool air can't keep all the food at a certain safe temperature.

Follow these a few tips above to help your Thanksgiving leftovers stored properly and last longer.