It’s Boxing Day and for many that means finding a way to use up all the leftover turkey and trimmings that didn’t get finished yesterday.
No matter how well you try to plan, there’s often food leftover from Christmas Day and you don’t want it to go to waste.
But it’s important to make sure excess food is stored properly and not left for too long before you tuck in, or you could end up feeling unwell.
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The last thing you want is to end up with food poisoning over Christmas, but just how long does cooked turkey last for in the fridge and freezer?
There’s plenty you can do with leftovers, from making curries and Christmas sandwiches, or having cold cuts on a festive buffet.
But according to the NHS, you haven’t got as long as you might think to tuck in for second helpings. In fact, it says leftover refrigerated turkey should be eaten within two days.
If that’s not going to happen, you could freeze leftovers to avoid waste, but you still need to be careful to ensure it is safe to eat again.
Take a look at these rules, shared by the NHS to ensure you stay safe.
How long cooked turkey lasts and how to store leftovers safely
Cool leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within two hours
Divide leftovers into individual portions and refrigerate or freeze
Use refrigerated leftovers within two days
When reheating food, make sure it is heated until it reaches a temperature of 70C for two minutes, so it is steaming hot throughout
Always defrost leftovers completely, either in the fridge or microwave
When defrosted, food should be reheated only once, because the more times you cool and reheat food, the higher the risk of food poisoning
Cooked food that has been frozen and removed from the freezer should be reheated and eaten within 24 hours of fully defrosting
Foods stored in the freezer, such as ice cream and frozen desserts, should not be returned to the freezer once they have thawed
For safety and to reduce waste, only take out of the freezer what you intend to use within the next 24 hours
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