How long should you keep your Thanksgiving leftovers?

I know it’s hard to believe, but one of the most beautiful days celebrated in America is over. Now is the time to turn your attention to shopping, family time and the New Year.

Before we get there, though, let’s take a minute to remember what Thanksgiving is all about. Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to celebrate everything you are thankful for with your family and friends while enjoying an amazing meal. And now that we’ve stuffed ourselves with all of our favorite holiday foods, accompaniments and accompaniments, of course there’s still one essential question left unanswered?

What exactly do we do with all this leftover food?

Believe it or not, the average American consumes over 3,000 calories on a typical Thanksgiving evening. To put that in perspective, that’s like eating at least six Big Macs, and that doesn’t include all the leftovers we’ll inevitably eat in the next few days. But how long should this food last in your fridge? And perhaps more importantly, how many different meals and snacks can you make from the treats that weren’t eaten when the family came over?

Think about it; There are tons of different combinations you can make with these leftovers:

• turkey sandwiches,
• turkey soup,
• turkey pot pie,
• Homemade Mac & Cheese Pizza,
• Deep fried mashed potato bites,
• Filling/dressing with hash and eggs (my personal favorite),
• cranberry BBQ sauce,
• and countless other things you could try.

With all of these options, how long can you make a turkey casserole before you have to throw it all away?

How long should your leftovers last?

According to officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you really should get rid of these leftovers by the Monday after Thanksgiving:

Use the Monday after Thanksgiving as a reminder that it is the last day you can safely eat leftovers. If you want to keep leftovers longer, freeze them within those four days.
-US Department of Agriculture

Pffty, but since when do we listen to what the USDA and CDC have to say?! I asked a few people on social media what they do with their leftovers and the vast majority of people say their leftovers don’t last longer than two days, which would mean they’re gone by Saturday. While a few other people said their food would be gone on Sunday.

If you grew up in a household like mine, you know that we used to have to make sure food lasted for a year whole lot A little longer – but in the Nice household, those days are long gone.

How long will you keep your Thanksgiving leftovers?