Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of preparation.
Leaving food out too long is one of the biggest holiday food safety problems. “It is so easy to linger around the table, but when food sits outs for more than two hours in the danger zone — above 40 degrees and below 140 degrees — it is prime for bacterial growth,” says Blakeslee. Adds Cody: “Store leftovers in 2-inch deep, shallow containers and make sure the refrigerator is not over-packed and there is plenty of air circulating around the food so it can be properly cooled.”
Blakeslee suggests cutting the meat off the turkey to allow it to quickly cool to proper temperature, as well as make it easy to store.
