How long are they safe to keep and eat?
- Most leftovers shouldn’t stay in the fridge for longer than three to four days, the federal food and health agencies say.
- Leftovers that are stored in the freezer can last much longer. The USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service pointing three to four months as a good limit.
- When reheating leftovers, make sure the food reaches 165 degrees.
If you cooked a Thanksgiving feast last week, chances are you have plenty of leftovers. But don’t wait too long to eat or freeze them.
Cooked turkey and other leftovers can be kept in the fridge safely for about three to four days, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FoodSafety.gov say.
But after that time, “the risk of food poisoning goes up,” the Mayo Clinic notes, pointing to the growth of bacteria in refrigerated leftovers.
This means that the Monday after Thanksgiving marks a “‘use or freeze’ deadline,” FoodSafety.gov says. If you don’t eat or freeze your leftovers by then, it’s safest to throw them away.
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How long can leftovers stay in the fridge?
Again, most leftovers shouldn’t stay in the fridge for more than three to four days, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service notes.
For more specifics, the USDA’s FSIS launched the FoodKeeper app, which consumers can consult and use to set