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ENLARGE
Susan Busler
With big holiday meals, families are faced with what to do with all the leftovers.
Food is often mishandled during busy celebrations. Leftover food tends to be forgotten while family and friends visit. Watch the hors d’oeuvres, too. Many are perishable.
As people chat over the table and help themselves, bacterial contamination could occur. Keep food temperatures safe during serving. If safety of leftovers is questionable, discard them.
Many folks look forward to turkey salad sandwiches, turkey bone soup and turkey tetrazzini. Cooks want to have their leftovers be as good, and as safe, as the feast itself. The key to safety is to not leave foods out where temperatures are right for bacteria to grow.
The quicker you get those foods put away, the better. While the turkey is at room temperature, about 72 degrees, it is in the temperature danger zone of 40 degrees to 140 degrees. This is the temperature range in which bacteria can grow fastest. The cooler temperature of the refrigerator, 35 degrees to 40 degrees, slows down metabolic processes and therefore slows the growth of harmful bacteria.
Keep leftovers safe and flavorful by refrigerating or freezing them soon after the meal is over. The food safety recommendation is to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of when the food is put on the table.
To keep the turkey leftovers at their best, remove the meat from the bone and put the turkey into the refrigerator to lower the temperature. To make it easier to serve later, separate the turkey into portions of the appropriate size to serve to your family, package the turkey, and freeze it. For best results, wrap the turkey in small, airtight packages or store in plastic containers.
Always label and date your products. If you do not plan to use the leftovers soon, it is recommended that you freeze them immediately.
Salads, gravies, vegetables and other cooked dishes should be stored in containers and refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerated turkey and gravy should be used within three or four days; stuffing and prepared salads within one or two days. Frozen turkey should be used within four months. Turkey frozen in broth can be used within six months.
You’ll want to be sure and reheat your leftovers to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Gravies should be reheated to a full, rolling boil. If reheating in the microwave, be sure the container is microwave-safe. It will heat faster if covered. Let the heated food sit a few minutes before eating to equalize the temperature.
It’s no fun to let spoiled food spoil the holidays. People with weaker immune systems are more likely to get sick from contaminated foods. That includes pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS.
So remember: hot foods hot; cold foods cold. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. And when in doubt, throw it out.
Food is often mishandled during busy celebrations. Leftover food tends to be forgotten while family and friends visit. Watch the hors d’oeuvres, too. Many are perishable.
As people chat over the table and help themselves, bacterial contamination could occur. Keep food temperatures safe during serving. If safety of leftovers is questionable, discard them.
Many folks look forward to turkey salad sandwiches, turkey bone soup and turkey tetrazzini. Cooks want to have their leftovers be as good, and as safe, as the feast itself. The key to safety is to not leave foods out where temperatures are right for bacteria to grow.
The quicker you get those foods put away, the better. While the turkey is at room temperature, about 72 degrees, it is in the temperature danger zone of 40 degrees to 140 degrees. This is the temperature range in which bacteria can grow fastest. The cooler temperature of the refrigerator, 35 degrees to 40 degrees, slows down metabolic processes and therefore slows the growth of harmful bacteria.
Keep leftovers safe and flavorful by refrigerating or freezing them soon after the meal is over. The food safety recommendation is to refrigerate leftovers within two hours of when the food is put on the table.
To keep the turkey leftovers at their best, remove the meat from the bone and put the turkey into the refrigerator to lower the temperature. To make it easier to serve later, separate the turkey into portions of the appropriate size to serve to your family, package the turkey, and freeze it. For best results, wrap the turkey in small, airtight packages or store in plastic containers.
Always label and date your products. If you do not plan to use the leftovers soon, it is recommended that you freeze them immediately.
Salads, gravies, vegetables and other cooked dishes should be stored in containers and refrigerated or frozen. Refrigerated turkey and gravy should be used within three or four days; stuffing and prepared salads within one or two days. Frozen turkey should be used within four months. Turkey frozen in broth can be used within six months.
You’ll want to be sure and reheat your leftovers to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Gravies should be reheated to a full, rolling boil. If reheating in the microwave, be sure the container is microwave-safe. It will heat faster if covered. Let the heated food sit a few minutes before eating to equalize the temperature.
It’s no fun to let spoiled food spoil the holidays. People with weaker immune systems are more likely to get sick from contaminated foods. That includes pregnant women, young children, older adults and people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS.
So remember: hot foods hot; cold foods cold. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. And when in doubt, throw it out.
Susan Busler is the Family Community Development Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. She can be reached by e-mail at susan.busler@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
