It’s time to get rid of those Thanksgiving leftovers in your fridge

Tupperwares with turkey, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole and other Thanksgiving leftovers are still lurking in refrigerators.

So, what do you do?

The Department of Agriculture says it’s best to consume Thanksgiving leftovers, and leftovers from other cooked meals, within four days after making them, even if they’ve been refrigerated. That would have been Monday of this week.

“Refrigerate perishable items within two hours of coming out of the oven or refrigerator. After two hours, perishable food enters the ‘Danger Zone,’” according to the USDA website.

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In other words: It's time for your unfrozen leftovers to go.

(And, if your city has its composting program, make sure to throw those leftovers in the green bin so they can be composted or turned into fuel.)

Here’s what’s happening inside that food

That Danger Zone refers to the increase of bacteria inside food when the its temperature rises past 40 degrees; bacteria doubles every 20 minutes in those temperatures. That's why refrigerators should be set to 40 degrees or lower.

Food safety experts say Thanksgiving leftovers should be consumed between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

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LAist

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“In a matter of a couple of hours, you can end up with millions of bacteria that can make people ill,” said food safety consultant Jeff Nelken. He’s worked as a food safety trainer for the L.A. County Health Department.

Something else to keep in mind, Nelken said, is how long food is left out when serving it. Nelken suggests serving smaller portions at the table, instead of putting all that’s been cooked out and leaving it out for two hours or longer.

Storing those leftovers

Nelken said he conducted a study in which he visited people’s homes and found that many kept their refrigerators between 45 and 50 degrees, definitely in the USDA’s “Danger Zone.”

Food safety experts say perishable food should not be left out more than two hours after being served.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez

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LAist

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“Most people that we spoke to didn't even know what temperature it should be at,” Nelken said. (Again: 40 degrees or lower.)

Freezing leftovers is good. Once the leftover is thawed, make sure to heat it to 165 degrees. Use a food thermometer to make sure it reaches those temperatures.

Resist the urge

The urge to eat those week-old Thanksgiving leftovers is strong.

“Thirty-one percent of participants in our recent research indicated they would eat leftovers kept longer than four days in the refrigerator,” according to federal food safety officials.

“After four days, spoilage bacteria can cause food to develop a bad smell or taste,” according to the website.

It may help to tell yourself: There will be other holiday meals coming.