When the feast is over

The feast is over and our bellies are full, and perhaps we ate a little too much but oh it was so tasty. However, in a couple of days we’ll be as weary of Thanksgiving food as our non-US members are of hearing about our feast day. Very soon we’ll be standing and staring into the refrigerator wondering what to do with all that turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. 

Start by refreshing yourself on how long the leftovers are going to last. Food safety experts say that three to four days in the refrigerator is safe, although some items may last longer. Cranberry sauce, for example, has a very low pH so it can last well over a week. Meats and dairy products are the most likely to contain pathogens and should be used as soon as possible. Getting your food into the fridge quickly after the meal is over is paramount. Food scientist and research Bryan Quoc Le reminds us that “every 20 minutes the food is left out in room temperature, microorganisms are doubling in number.”

Now you are ready for the recipes. There are many tried-and-true items such as turkey tetrazzini, but if you’re in the mood for something a little different, how about Thanksgiving leftover Hot Pockets? J. Kenji López-Alt brings us this new twist that can use pretty much any leftover from your feast. The recipe calls for stuffing, sweet potatoes, turkey and cranberry sauce, but Kenji says it would work just as well with green bean casserole, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes, and roasted brussels sprouts or squash. Rotisserie chicken can sub for turkey if you so desire.

Bon Appetit has a recipe for turkey melts that looks good. Modeled on a diner-style tuna melt, these sandwiches forego slicing the leftover turkey in favor of shredding it. Food Network has a bevy of recipes to peruse, ranging from sandwiches to soups to pot pies to waffles – 61 recipes in total. The mashed potato pizza recipe intrigues me, but I’m looking forward to a pot pie made with our leftovers.