Leftovers: Let’s Keep the Best Part of Thanksgiving Safe

"The year’s biggest meal will be over soon, but delicious Thanksgiving leftovers will sustain you from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Keep your favorite leftovers safe by following these food safety steps:

• Remember the Two-Hour Rule: Refrigerate perishable items within two hours of coming out of the oven or refrigerator. After two hours, perishable food enters the "Danger Zone" (between 40 F and 140 F), where bacteria can multiply quickly and cause food to become unsafe. Perishable food should be discarded if left out for longer than two hours, so refrigerate or freeze items to prevent food waste.
• Use Shallow Containers: After you break down your Thanksgiving meal into smaller portions, store leftover food in shallow containers in the refrigerator until the Monday after Thanksgiving, or in the freezer for later use.
• Freeze or Consume Within Four Days: Use the Monday after Thanksgiving as a reminder that it is the last day you can safely eat leftovers. If you want to keep leftovers longer, freeze them within that four-day period. Frozen food stays safe indefinitely, though the quality may decrease over time (best quality if eaten within six months).
• Reheat to 165 F: Make sure your reheated leftovers reach 165 F as measured with a food thermometer. Reheat sauces, soups and gravies safely by bringing them to a rolling boil.
• Microwave Food Safely: When reheating in the microwave, cover and rotate the food for even heating. Arrange food items evenly in a covered microwave safe glass or ceramic dish and add some liquid, if needed. Because microwaves have cold spots, check the internal temperature of the food in several places with a food thermometer after allowing a resting time.

For more questions about food safety, contact the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov to reach a food safety expert or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thanksgiving Day..."
Leftovers/Thanksgiving 

Tips to Reduce Food Waste at Thanksgiving

"Each year, the average American family of four loses $1,500 to uneaten food — that’s about 1,160 pounds of food. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it is timely to think about how we as individuals can keep our household food waste in check.

Thanksgiving may be different this year, but we can still have a special celebration with a few adjustments. At the same time, we can reduce our food waste. For example, we may not need the turkey that serves 12 people when we have only six at the table. While many of us like turkey sandwiches the next day with a slice of pumpkin pie, we may waste a lot of perfectly good food if we over prepare and don’t take steps to freeze or store leftovers properly until they can be eaten. Wasting food is a waste of money that could be used elsewhere. As the USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison, I would like to share with you a few tips that can help reduce food waste at our holiday meals and save you money.

Plan your holiday meal

Before you go to the grocery store or order online, plan and make a list to reduce the chance that you’ll buy more than you need. Research shows that making a written list can help shoppers avoid impulse purchases, which may include foods they don’t need. For turkey, one rule of thumb is to plan for one pound per person, or a pound and a half if you want leftovers. For smaller-than-normal gatherings, consider preparing only the favorite family side dishes to go with the main course. You might serve one type of your favorite rolls or dessert instead of several. If you want to prepare all of your family’s traditional dishes, consider cutting recipes in half if you are cooking for fewer people this year. If you do have guests who want to bring a dish, coordinate in advance on who is cooking which dish.

While preparing dishes, save the scraps for future cooking

Freeze scraps like vegetable peelings and meat trimmings for your future culinary creations. Use them later in savory broths and hearty soups to provide comforting warmth on cold days. Or cook the scraps to make other foods or ingredients. You can season potato peelings and bake them into chips, or sauté extra chopped onions to make recipe-ready caramelized onions.

Store or give away leftovers

Place food in clear containers marked with the contents and date. That can increase the chances that the leftovers in the fridge will be remembered and actually eaten. If you have guests who want leftovers, let them choose their favorite dishes so that their take-away food containers match what they will really enjoy. For example, guests who only like white turkey meat would likely waste a leftover drumstick or wing.

Be creative with your leftovers

My favorite post-Thanksgiving treat was when my mom made fritters with the leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast the next day. Extra rolls and bread that are getting stale can be made into bread pudding. Think about what your family did to save food from being wasted and add your own touch of creativity. Try your hand at making homemade turkey stock with the bones, or make turkey chili with leftover meat. Whip extra buttermilk or cream into French toast batter. You could even start a new family tradition of serving a pot of turkey soup on the weekend after Thanksgiving..."
Thanksgiving food waste 

Countdown to a Food-Safe Thanksgiving Day - FAQs

"Thanksgiving Day is just two weeks away, and it’s time to get ready. Here are answers to important food safety questions so you can cook your turkey safely.

Q: How long does it take to thaw a turkey?

A: The time it takes to thaw a turkey depends on which of these three thawing methods you choose:

• Refrigerator thaw method (recommended): 24 hours for every five pounds.
• Cold-water bath method: 30 minutes per pound.
• Microwave method: follow instructions in the owner’s manual.

The turkey should never be thawed on the counter or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Q: Should I wash my turkey?

A: No. Washing or rinsing any meat or poultry is not recommended, and actually increases the risk you will cross-contaminate germs to other foods you’re preparing. But if you do choose to wash your turkey, you need to fully clean and sanitize your sink. Cleaning and sanitizing is a two-step process. To clean, rub down surfaces including the sink, cutting boards, and counter tops with soap and hot water and then sanitize them with a cleaning solution to remove any residual germs you cannot see. You can use a homemade solution of one tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach in one gallon of water. Let air dry.

Q: Should I stuff my turkey?

A: USDA does not recommend stuffing a turkey for food safety reasons. When stuffed, it takes a longer time to cook the turkey, and you must make sure the innermost part of the stuffing has also reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be challenging with large birds.

Q: Should I roast my turkey breast side up or down?

A: USDA recommends cooking a whole turkey breast side up if it is being roasted in the oven.

Q: How long do you cook a turkey in an oven bag?

A: Oven cooking bags are safe and can be an effective way to speed up the cooking process. For whole, unstuffed turkeys in oven cooking bags, cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the following approximate times:

• 8-12 lb. turkey: 1 1/2 to 2 hours
• 12 to 16 lb. turkey: 2 to 2 1/2 hours
• 16-20 lb. turkey: 2 1/2 to 3 hours
• 20-24 lb. turkey: 3 to 3 1/2 hours..
  Thanksgiving safety