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I know we can eat turkey at any time of the year, but I’d like to bet that searches for ‘How long will leftover cooked turkey last in the fridge?’ surge upwards around Christmas time! What about your household? Does turkey make a regular appearance all-year-long? Or is it something that only seems to get added to your basket around winter/the festive period?
Anyway, turkey-chat out the way, let’s get down to business, shall we?
How Long Will Leftover Cooked Turkey Last in the Fridge?
If stored correctly, leftover cooked turkey can last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Most experts and foodies recommend eating leftover cooked turkey within 2 to 3 days.
What you need to remember about refrigeration is, it slows down the rate at which bad bacteria can breed. Putting food in the fridge does not completely stop the growth of bacteria, leading to mould and the food turning bad.
How to Store Leftover Cooked Turkey in the Fridge
I’ll break it down into stages, because the individual stages of storing leftover cooked turkey in the fridge are actually super important.
Step One: Cooling
First and foremost, you must leave your cooked turkey to cool down before you think about putting it into the fridge or freezer. This won’t take long – only around half an hour or so.
You should make sure the turkey is covered but can breathe and cool down.
The longer you leave your leftover cooked turkey on the counter, at room temperature, the faster the bad bacteria will breed. In turn, the quicker the meat will turn bad and become unsafe to eat.
Step Two: Container
Once your leftover turkey is cooled, it’s time to move it to an appropriate container. Ideally, this will be an airtight container, with a fully sealable lid.
An airtight container is important to stop air from coming into contact with the meat. This speeds up the rate at which bacteria can breed and the food will turn bad. Not only that, meat that is not stored in an airtight container will dry out very quickly.
Step Three: Labelling
You should label all leftovers you plan to store in the fridge or freezer, even if you only plan to store them for a few hours.
By labelling foods, you can reduce the chances of grabbing the wrong item when it’s time to cook or eat.
Labelling foods with the date you put it in the fridge or freezer also ensures that you use it up in good time, and you don’t accidentally eat food that has been stored for too long.
Step Four: Temperature Check
You don’t need to check the temperature of the fridge or freezer every time you put something in there, but it is a good idea to get into the habit of checking it every now and again.
The temperature of your fridge should be below 5°C, according to the Food Standards Agency.
If you’re in the market for some leftover turkey inspiration, you might find the following ideas super helpful:
- 101 Things You Can Do with Leftover Turkey