If you planned well, you cooked enough turkey on Thanksgiving to satisfy not only your guests, but to enjoy leftovers for days to come. But before you make plans for the various things you can do with turkey after Thanksgiving, make sure you know how to store a turkey properly.

Making sure you've stored your leftover turkey correctly means you can enjoy it for days, or weeks, to come without needing to worry about whether or not it's safe to you, family, or guests to eat. Keep in mind that after the turkey has been served, there is a two hour time period after which the meat must be preserved somehow if it is to be be safe for future consumption.http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/health/foodsafety/az1072.html

According to the Mayo Clinic, cooked turkey should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours of being served from the oven.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-safety/AN01095 However, if the room temperature is high, then the turkey should be exposed for a shorter period of time such as a one hour period in temperatures in the 90s. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp The refrigerator's temperature should maintain consistency at a recommended temperature of between 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because food such as turkey has been shown to require a temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in order to keep.http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1120964,00.html

If leftover turkey is refrigerated, it should be eaten within four days of preparation. Turkey which can not be consumed within four days can be frozen for up to four months.http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1120964,00.html Before turkey is put in the refrigerator or freezer, all its stuffing should be removed and it should be carved away from the bone and stored without the bone as the bone prevents the meat from chilling quickly enough.http://www.preparedpantry.com/StoreTurkey.htm Refrigerated leftover stuffing which has been prepared in the turkey should be eaten 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. The turkey bone can be refrigerated or frozen separately in a freezer bag or wrapped and used later to make stock for sauces and soups. Remaining leftovers can be placed in 2 inch deep containers or plastic bags, allowing the turkey to cool faster and preventing bacterial growth.http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/safeguard-your-thanksgiving-leftovers

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.http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/foodsafety/az1072.html You may want to coat the turkey with chicken broth, so it doesn't dry out in the refrigerator. Be aware that doing so will reduce the time it will keep to two days, instead of four.

Place containers in the refrigerator or freezer, with plenty of space around them so the cold air can circulate properly.http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/components/columns/Nov26.htm