Kepta
Thanksgiving Leftovers: How Long They Last and What to Freeze
Most Thanksgiving leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. Get them there within 2 hours of cooking, and reheat them to 165°F before eating.
Every food safety number on this page comes from the USDA and FoodSafety.gov, linked at the end of the page.
How long leftovers keep in the refrigerator, cooked turkey included.
The longest perishable food should sit out. Make it 1 hour if the room is above 90°F.
The temperature to reheat leftovers to, checked with a food thermometer.
How long each dish keeps
Freezer times are for best quality: frozen food stays safe indefinitely but loses moisture and flavor the longer it waits.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| The main event | ||
| Cooked turkey, and other cooked poultry or meat leftovers | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Ham, fresh (uncured), cooked | 3 to 4 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Ham, cooked, store-wrapped slices, half, or spiral cut | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, cooked, store-wrapped whole | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Raw whole turkey, not yet cooked | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| The sides | ||
| Stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, cooked vegetables, rollsNot on either chart by name, so USDA's general leftovers guidance applies | 3 to 4 days | 3 to 4 monthsGeneral leftovers guidance, no item time listed |
| GravyGeneral leftovers guidance. Reheat to a rolling boil | 3 to 4 days | 3 to 4 monthsGeneral leftovers guidance, no item time listed |
| Casseroles with eggs, after baking | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Soups and stews with vegetables or meat | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Egg, chicken, ham, tuna, and macaroni salads | 3 to 4 days | Do not freeze well |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze |
| Dessert and drinks | ||
| Pumpkin or pecan pie, after baking | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Custard and chiffon pies, after baking | 3 to 4 days | Do not freeze |
| Quiche with filling, after baking | 3 to 5 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Homemade eggnog | 2 to 4 days | Do not freeze |
Item times are from the FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart. General leftovers times are from USDA's Leftovers and Food Safety page.
Cooling and storing
Bacteria grow rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, so the goal is to get food cold quickly. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or 1 hour if it's above 90°F. Perishable food left out longer than 2 hours should be thrown away.
- ●Divide large amounts into shallow containers so they cool fast.
- ●Cut the turkey into smaller pieces and slice the breast meat. Legs and wings can stay whole.
- ●Hot food can go straight into the refrigerator, or into an ice or cold water bath first.
- ●Cover leftovers, wrap them airtight, or seal them in containers.
Freezing and thawing
Leftovers keep 3 to 4 months frozen for best quality. When you want them back, there are three safe ways to thaw:
- ●In the refrigerator. Use within 3 to 4 days, or refreeze. From a large container thawed this way, you can take a portion and refreeze the rest without reheating.
- ●In cold water, in a leak-proof bag. Cook it before refreezing.
- ●In the microwave. Heat to 165°F, and then it can be refrozen.
You can also reheat frozen leftovers without thawing them first.
Reheating
Reheat leftovers to 165°F, measured with a food thermometer. Bring sauces, soups, and gravies to a rolling boil, and cover leftovers while they reheat.
- ●In the microwave, cover the dish, rotate it, and add a little liquid if it needs it.
- ●Vent the cover, then check the temperature in several places, because microwaves leave cold spots.
- ●Let it rest before serving.
- ●Food left over after reheating to 165°F is safe to refreeze.
A calm plan to throw less away
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26. The 3 to 4 day window starts when the meal is cooked, so here is how the weekend can go.
Before the kitchen closes, portion everything into shallow containers and label each one with the date. Anything that sat out more than 2 hours goes, without guilt.
Be honest about what you'll actually eat. Freeze the rest now, while it still has its best texture, but keep the custard pie and the salads out of the freezer: they don't freeze well.
Days 3 and 4. Finish what's left in the fridge or toss it. A whole store-wrapped ham and hard-cooked eggs get the full week; almost nothing else does.
How Kepta helps
Kepta is a free kitchen inventory app for iPhone. It won't cook the turkey, but it will keep track of where all of it went.
- ●Add the leftovers in a tap or two. Type a couple of letters, pick from the suggestions, and Kepta guesses the category and the spot.
- ●A countdown to eat them. Leftovers in the fridge get a countdown instead of a freshness color, so you can see what needs eating first.
- ●A daily reminder that names the item, the actual turkey or stuffing to use soon, not a generic nag.
- ●Family sharing, free. One six-character invite code puts everyone in the same kitchen, so the whole house sees what's left and nobody wonders whether the pie is gone.
- ●Used or tossed, honestly counted. Groceries count at the price you enter, or at a plain typical price you can change if you skip it. Homemade dishes are counted as dishes cooked, never turned into made-up dollar savings.
- ●For the rest of the week, a shopping list grouped by aisle and 100 recipes ranked by what's still in your kitchen.
Kepta is free, with no ads and no item limits. Kepta Plus is an optional upgrade for deeper money reports.
Put this year's leftovers somewhere you'll see them.
Sources
- Leftovers and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Cold Food Storage Chart, FoodSafety.gov
This page summarizes guidance from the USDA and FoodSafety.gov. It isn't a substitute for it, and when in doubt, throw it out. If a number here doesn't match the sources, tell us at support@kepta.kitchen and we'll fix it.