Leftover Storage Tips
The Mr. Food Test Kitchen shares their own food safety and refrigerator leftover storage tips! This easy-to-read chart ensures your own holiday leftovers will be wrapped and put away to be safely enjoyed a second time.
What to Do
- No food should be allowed to sit out at room temperature for more than two hours (see Note).
- Place food into shallow containers, divvying leftovers into smaller or personal-sized portions, and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
- Foods must be kept covered in a refrigerator at the proper safe temperature zone of 38 to 40 degrees F.
| PRODUCT | REFRIGERATOR STORAGE TIMES |
|---|---|
| Ham, fully cooked | 3 to 4 days |
| Turkey, fully cooked | 2 days |
| Cooked meat & meat casseroles | 3 to 4 days |
| Gravy & meat broth | 1 to 2 days |
| Cooked poultry casseroles | 3 to 4 days |
| Poultry pieces, plain | 3 to 4 days |
| Poultry pieces in broth or gravy | 1 to 2 days |
| Pizza, cooked | 3 to 4 days |
| Stuffing, cooked, outside a bird | 1 to 2 days |
| Cold-cut trays | 3 days |
| Mashed potatoes | 1 to 2 days |
| Cranberry sauce | 7 days |
| Sweet potatoes, cooked | 7 days |
| Pumpkin Pie | 2 to 3 days |
| Eggnog | 4 to 5 days after “Sell by” date |
Note
This guide refers to a total of two hours during a food’s lifetime, and doesn’t mean two hours every time you take it out of the refrigerator. And, of course, if you have any doubt about whether or not a food is still fresh and safe to eat: Be safe and throw it out.
For a great way to use leftovers, try our Ham Frittata. It's so yummy, nobody'll know it was made with leftovers!