Please Stop Eating Your Thanksgiving Leftovers (2024)

Apart from family and friends, the best part of Thanksgiving is the food—especially the leftovers. But just how long can you safely eat all that turkey and mashed potatoes?

According to the USDA, leftovers should be frozen or eaten within four days, which means the Monday after Thanksgiving is your last day to safely eat leftovers. Starting Tuesday, they should be in the freezer or tossed. Frozen leftovers can be safe indefinitely, although the USDA notes that quality will diminish over time.

Still want to push the four-day rule? Janilyn Hutchings, food scientist at StateFoodSafety and a Certified Professional in Food Safety, said that if stores properly, leftovers can be eaten within seven days of being cooked or opened. This doesn't include cooked meat or poultry or salads with macaroni, egg, ham, tuna, or chicken—all of which should be eaten in three to five days.

So what does properly-stored leftovers look like? Hutchings said that foods should be refrigerated within two hours of cooking or being taken out of the fridge. You can learn more about storing leftovers here.

So unless you froze your leftovers on Monday, it's best not to dig into that turkey and stuffing, at least according to the USDA. But if you haven't had your Turkey Day fill, here are some Thanksgiving recipes, from appetizers to pies.