No matter how delicious your Christmas meal, when it comes to the big bird there’s bound to be leftovers. While there are a few foods that clearly don't benefit from a night hanging out in the fridge (a dressed salad, for example) your turkey remains can stay covered in there for a good, few days.
There are a few watch outs though, let’s cover those off first:
Do’s and don’ts with turkey leftovers
Cold, cooked turkey meat should keep in the fridge for up to four days. Having said that, always use your best judgement.
Leftover turkey (and ham for that matter) should be covered and put away in the fridge once cooled. We know how easy it is to get distracted with everything that’s happening on Christmas Day, but do remember not to leave your turkey pickings out for more than a couple of hours.
Turkey can be cooked for the Christmas meal and then the leftovers can be cooked again – just make sure that the turkey is piping hot throughout, not just warmed through. And, importantly, don’t reheat cooked turkey more than once.
You don’t have to heat the turkey when you’re using the leftovers, you can serve as cold cuts, but do serve the meat from the fridge, don’t leave it out at room temperature for hours.
Meat can be frozen raw and frozen again once cooked. Just make sure it isn’t let out of the fridge in-between and, as mentioned above, you don’t reheat cooked turkey more than once.
