The Truthful Timetable For Eating Thanksgiving Leftovers

Three generations of women cooking together in kitchen

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Believe it or not, eating Thanksgiving Day leftovers is an essential part of the holiday experience. Folks try to recreate the blissful feeling of eating such a mouth-watering meal. But unfortunately, the scrumptiousness goes away by the second day.

And that still doesn’t stop people from going back for seconds and thirds for days on end. Tami Roman tweeted, “What is it about Thanksgiving leftovers that you keep going for more even though you’re not HUNGRY?! Lord please stop me from eating every 30 min!!!” @EDoggTheRed joked, “Anybody else just killing time until you can eat leftovers for lunch?”

Making completely different meals out of the leftovers is just more proof that Black folks can make something out of nothing. The remains of the turkey can last for a couple of weeks disguised as everything from Turkey sandwiches and turkey soup to turkey casserole. @BrotherNasser was spot on when he tweeted, “Shout owt to everyone who studied how black people brought Tupperware to thanksgiving to have leftovers for the next couple of days and renamed/rebranded it as “meal prep”

But believe it or not, there are levels to eating leftovers, There’s an unspoken cap on how long you should have leftovers taking up space in your fridge. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Turkey lasts four days in the fridge. Four months in freezer for best quality — after four months it can dry out and lose flavor. Also, leftovers should always be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

As for the other dishes, you have up to about four days to enjoy everything else you cooked. If you’re still confused or unsure about the proper protocol for your remaining food, let Plies break down the timetable for eating Thanksgiving Day leftovers.

Pregame Wednesday & Thursday: “You cook the food on Wednesday. Thursday you ate the food.”