15 Leftover Turkey Recipes | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

Can I eat leftover turkey after 7 days? ›

How long do the turkey and trimmings stay safe in the refrigerator or freezer? The answer is simple: leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later.

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth.

If foods have been left out for more than two hours, discard items to prevent foodborne illness.

How to Properly Store Thanksgiving Leftovers. Hot or cold foods at room temperature should be left out no longer than two hours—that number goes down to one hour when the temperature is over 90 degrees. If food has been left out for more than two hours, it's best to throw it away.

Snyder points to the USDA FoodKeeper app for best guidance: The tool notes that refrigerated, cooked turkey should be eaten within 4 days. Eat frozen turkey leftovers within 6 months for premier quality.

Frozen Turkey

Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.

If your turkey has been properly handled, you can refrigerate and eat it for up to four days. If you are planning to freeze it, it's best to freeze it within one day of cooking for optimal texture and taste. However, leftover turkey can be frozen after three days and it will be fine.

Turkey Tips

A thawed turkey may be kept in the refrigerator (40 degrees F or below) up to 4 days before cooking.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away. Frozen leftovers will stay safe for a long time.

Non-profit organisation Love Food, Hate Waste recommends the 2:2:2 rule. Two hours to get them in the fridge. Two days to eat them once they're in there. Or freeze them for up to two months.

What leftovers last the longest? ›

The food can sit on the table within a two-hour window, and if it's stored in the fridge in that time frame, it can be eaten as leftovers. While it depends on the food, it's usually safe to eat within the next two to three days, and it's essential food that was hot is reheated well.

As a general guideline, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends eating or freezing turkey and other leftovers within three to four days. For Thanksgiving, that means you should eat or freeze by Monday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday was the last day people should keep Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator. The USDA noted that the food is safe to eat for only four days after initially cooked, if kept properly stored in the fridge.

The exact time period cooked turkey can sit out depends on a few different factors. As a rule of thumb, if your meat has been out in the temperature danger zone for more than two hours, even after being refrigerated, throw it out. If the turkey was just cooked and is cooling down, try to put it away within two hours.

Turkey: 3-4 days.

Eat turkey within three to four days of cooking. If you use the turkey in a new dish like a soup or casserole, only consume within those initial four days. Another option is freezing the cooked turkey. Turkey can last up to four more months if frozen.

If properly stored, raw turkey can last in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cold cuts last up to 5 days. How long does cooked turkey last in the fridge? If you have leftovers that include cooked turkey, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

A thawed turkey may be kept in the refrigerator (40 degrees F or below) up to 4 days before cooking. Frozen Whole Turkeys and Frozen Whole Turkey Breasts need to be thawed before cooking. Thaw Fully Cooked Baked and Smoked Turkeys via the refrigerator method.

You can cook food until midnight of the use-by date listed on the product, and then cool and keep it in the fridge. This is because cooking kills any pathogens in the food and gives you a little more time to use it up.