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The best part of Thanksgiving dinner is making sure everyone has enough turkey to eat. Sometimes that means you make more than enough turkey. Never fear, this guide will show you how to cook leftover turkey.
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The best part of Thanksgiving dinner is making sure everyone has enough turkey to eat. Sometimes that means you make more than enough turkey. Never fear, this guide will show you how to cook leftover turkey.
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Introduction
- You chose the perfect turkey, cooked it to perfection, then had it as your centerpiece of a perfect meal. Now it's the day after Thanksgiving, and you have enough leftovers on hand to eat turkey sandwiches every day until Christmas. Don't worry; there's more than one way to cook leftover turkey!
Step 1: Storage
- The most important part of cooking leftovers is making sure they're safe to eat!
- You need to refrigerate or freeze cooked turkey within two hours of taking it from the oven.
- Make sure your refrigerator's temperature is between 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit, so the turkey stays below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You should eat refrigerated leftovers within four days.
- If you don't think you can eat the turkey within four days, freeze it instead of refrigerating. Frozen turkey stays good to eat for four months.
- Make sure your freezer's temperature is 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. This ensures it's cold enough to properly preserve your turkey!
- Carve your turkey before refrigerating or freezing it. You want to remove all meat from the bones. An uncarved turkey won't chill quickly enough.
- Remove any leftover stuffing from the turkey, and refrigerate it separately. You should eat leftover stuffing within two days!
- If you have a lot of leftover turkey, start carving it up after it's been out of the oven for an hour and a half. That way you can safely get it into the fridge within two hours.
- If you know how you're going to use the turkey, carve accordingly: slices for sandwiches, diced turkey for soup, etc. This will save you a step when you go to use the turkey later!
- You can also refrigerate or freeze the bones to make stock later.
- Place your leftovers in 2 inch deep containers or plastic bags. The shallower container allows the turkey to cool faster, preventing bacterial growth.
- If you're placing the turkey in the freezer, wrap it in freezer paper, aluminum foil or other freezer-safe packaging to prevent freezer burn.
- You may want to coat the turkey with chicken broth, so it doesn't dry out in the refrigerator.
- Be aware that doing so reduces the time it will keep to two days, instead of four.
- Place containers in the refrigerator or freezer, with space around them so the cold air can circulate.
Step 2: Prepare Your Turkey
- There are many versatile ways to use your leftover turkey. We've included some great recipes below. Choose whatever appeals to you, but remember:
- Be smart: if you're eating leftovers to be frugal, don't use a recipe that requires you buy 10 new ingredients.
- If you're getting tired of turkey, have a second Thanksgiving dinner. Invite friends and family you didn't get to see on the official holiday, and let them help you polish off your turkey.
Cold Turkey
- The easiest thing to do is to eat your turkey straight from the refrigerator! Or take the easy additional step of putting your turkey in a sandwich or salad.
- Make sure you consume your turkey within a few hours of taking it from the refrigerator; when its temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for an extended amount of time, bacteria can grow.
- You can take turkey slices straight from the freezer to make turkey sandwiches. If you make them in the morning, the turkey will have thawed enough by lunchtime!
- Keep them in the refrigerator while thawing; you still want the meat to stay under 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Re-Heating
- If you're re-heating your turkey, make sure you do it thoroughly!
- If you're using the oven, heat it to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit so the turkey can heat quickly.
- If you're using a microwave, rotate your plate so the turkey re-heats evenly.
- You may wish to add broth or water for moister turkey.
- Use a food thermometer to make sure the turkey reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Recipes for Leftover Turkey
- Mahalo's Guide to Turkey
- EatTurkey.com: Recipe Search
- This site has over 800 turkey recipes; enter a favorite dish and see what tips they have!
- Mr.Breakfast.com: Thanksgiving Breakfast - Turkey Leftovers
- Mr. Breakfast has recipes for turkey muffins, breakfast pizza, and a turkey frittata.
- Recipezaar: Thanksgiving: The Leftovers
- University of Illinois Extension: Turkey for the Holidays: Leftovers
- WallStreetJournal.com: Cold Turkey and "Hot Brown" Recipe (November 17, 2007)
- Scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe.
- Food Network: Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie
- Simply Recipes: Turkey Leftovers
- AllRecipes: Turkey Potato Tetrazzini
- Dummies.com: Quick and Simple Recipes for Leftover Turkey:Dummies
- AllRecipes: Turkey Leftovers Recipes
- iVillage: Top 12 Recipes for Leftover Turkey
- About.com: Leftover Turkey Recipe
- AllRecipes: Annie's Turkey Salad
- New York Times: "Leftover Turkey, In Disguise" (November 19, 1989)
Questions and Answers About How to Cook Leftover Turkey
Any creative ideas for what do to with leftover Thanksgiving turkey? 13 AnswersI like to do what I call rubber turkey. I'm assuming you are going to have so much turkey your eyeballs spin. So this is what I do. Divide the turkey into two s... read more
What are your favorite options for leftover turkey? 8 AnswersThanksgiving Friday Pie. You put a layer of leftover dressing (or stuffing, if you're in a region where it's called that) at the bottom of a pie plate or pan... read more
How do you cook a deep fried turkey? 1 AnswerI found a few pages with instructions on deep frying a turkey, along with what you should use, and so forth. (Will paste page urls since too much info on pages ... read more
How long do I cook a 28lb turkey? 2 AnswersButterball.com's turkey calculator says a 28lb stuffed bird should roast at 325 for 5.5-6.25 hours. Unstuffed it should be done in 4.5-5 hours. If it's stuffed,... read more
view more questions...
Turkey Enchiladas
A nice recipe for making Turkey Enchiladas with some of that left over Thanksgiving Turkey
Ingredients:
Leftover Turkey
Salsa Verde
Grated Cheese
Sour Cream
Black Olives
Flour Tortillas
Resources for How to Cook Leftover Turkey
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Mayo Clinic: Food safety: How long can you keep leftovers?
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University of Minnesota Extension: Tips for Storing and Reheating Thanksgiving Leftovers
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Health.com: Safe Food Storage and Preparation (November, 2005)
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PreparedPantry.com: How to store leftover turkey
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WebMD: Safeguard Your Thanksgiving Leftovers
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WeightWatchers: Safe Thanksgiving Storage
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USDA: Let's Talk Turkey
From USDA, a consumer guide to safely roasting a turkey.
fsis.usda.gov -
University of Arizona: Storing Leftover Turkey
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Colorado State University Extension: Tips for safe and tasty turkey leftovers
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