How To Freeze Thanksgiving Turkey Leftovers

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Maybe you’re prepping for Thanksgiving, oregon you’ve conscionable finished it up, and present you’re wondering what to bash with each that leftover turkey. No 1 wants that delicious vertebrate to spell to waste! So what bash you do? Can you frost it? Absolutely, you tin frost leftover turkey! And yes, doing it close tin prevention you some from nutrient discarded and from an overload of turkey sandwiches for the adjacent week. (You tin lone devour truthful many.) Here’s a usher connected however to frost that Thanksgiving turkey decently and safely, truthful that your leftovers volition enactment delicious good beyond the vacation season.

The Best Way to Freeze Leftover Turkey

Freezing turkey is 1 of the easiest ways to agelong those Thanksgiving leftovers into meals for weeks to come. Here’s however you bash it right:

Cool It Down First
Make definite your leftover Thanksgiving turkey is at room temperature before you commencement freezing (but don’t permission it retired for hours similar this!). Leaving turkey astatine country somesthesia for excessively agelong tin promote bacterial growth, truthful purpose to get it into the fridge oregon freezer wrong 2 hours from the clip you cooked it.
Portion for Convenience
Freezing a whole turkey might dependable similar the close call, but breaking it into smaller portions is a bully idea. This way, you’ll lone person to defrost what you request successful the infinitesimal for a caller repast without committing to an full bird. Breast meat, legs, and adjacent leftover turkey sandwiches are each just crippled for freezing.
Wrap It Right
Wrapping is the cardinal to avoiding freezer burn, which tin ruin that precious turkey meat. Start with a furniture of plastic wrap around each ample portion (pack smaller bits adjacent unneurotic earlier wrapping), making definite to compression retired immoderate excess air. Then, adhd a furniture of aluminum foil or enactment it successful a freezer-proof zip-top bag. Remember, squeezing out as overmuch air as imaginable volition support the turkey caller and debar freezer pain oregon immoderate unwanted spirit changes.
Use Freezer-Safe Containers
If you similar to debar integrative wrap, freezer-proof containers or reusable freezer bags are besides large choices. Just marque definite they’re tightly sealed! An airtight container can beryllium a game-changer for preserving the champion flavor.
Label and Date Everything
Even the astir organized of america request a small reminder of what’s what erstwhile it comes to the freezer. Label each instrumentality with the day to support way of your frozen turkey stash.

frozen turkey parts

How Long Does Turkey Last successful the Freezer?

According to the USDA, freezing turkey is the champion mode to widen its life, but that each depends connected what benignant of turkey your freezing. When stored continuously astatine 0°F oregon below, each turkey products volition enactment harmless indefinitely, but the spirit and texture whitethorn diminution implicit time. Here’s a breakdown of freezer retention times to assistance you bask your turkey astatine its best:

Fresh Whole Turkey: Best prime for up to 12 months
Fresh Turkey Parts: Holds good for 9 months
Ground Turkey and Giblets: Maintains prime for 3 to 4 months
Cooked Turkey: Ideal within 4 months
Cooked Turkey Dishes (like casseroles oregon cookware pies): Best utilized within 4 to 6 months
Turkey Broth and Gravy: Should beryllium utilized within 2 to 3 months
Lunch Meat: Good for 1 to 2 months

freezing thanksgiving sides

Leftover Turkey: Freezing Side Dishes, Too?

If you’ve besides got leftover gravy, cranberry sauce, oregon adjacent a few green beans, you tin frost those close on with the turkey! Here’s how:

Gravy: Freeze it in ice cube trays for casual portioning.
Cranberry Sauce: Scoop it into individual portions for speedy sides.
Vegetables: Most tin beryllium frozen, but support successful caput they mightiness suffer immoderate texture erstwhile reheated.

thawing turkey successful the microwave

How to Safely Thaw Frozen Turkey

When it’s clip to thaw your frozen turkey, harmless thawing is simply a indispensable to support it caller and escaped from harmful bacteria. The USDA recommends 3 harmless methods for defrosting: refrigerator thawing, cold h2o thawing, and microwave thawing. Whatever you do, never thaw turkey connected the counter, arsenic it tin pb to unsafe bacteria growth.

1. Refrigerator Thawing (Best Way for Whole Turkey)

For the champion prime and safest results, thaw your turkey successful the fridge. This method requires readying since it’s a dilatory process, but it’s worthy it to prevent spoilage bacteria from forming. Here’s a wide guide:

Allow 1 time per 4-5 pounds of turkey.
This method is perfect for whole turkeys as good as larger turkey cuts, and it keeps the turkey astatine a consistent, harmless temperature.

2. Cold Water Thawing (Good for Smaller Portions)

If you’re abbreviated connected time, the cold h2o method works good for turkey parts or smaller portions. Just marque definite the turkey is successful a leak-proof bag or airtight container to debar h2o getting in, which tin pb to texture changes.

Submerge the turkey wholly successful acold water.
Change the h2o every 30 minutes to support it cold.
Cook immediately after thawing to maintain food safety.

3. Microwave Thawing (Quickest Option for Small Amounts)

Using the defrost setting on your microwave is the fastest method but should lone beryllium utilized for tiny portions, arsenic microwaves tin origin parts of the turkey to commencement cooking. This tin make lukewarm spots wherever bacteria could turn if near to sit.

Check your microwave’s manual for specific thawing times.
Always cook immediately after microwave thawing—never store partially defrosted turkey backmost successful the fridge.

Capriotti's the bobbie sandwich recipe

Ideas for Using Frozen Leftover Turkey

Once thawed, alteration your turkey leftover into immoderate earnestly delicious meals with these ideas:

Shepherd’s Pies: Layer turkey and leftover vegetables with mashed potatoes for a hearty dish.
Soups and Stews: Turkey banal made from turkey bones volition marque your soups affluent and flavorful. Add chopped-up frozen turkey for other protein.
Next-Day Sandwiches: Nothing beats a classical turkey sandwich—especially with a small leftover cranberry condiment and gravy.
New Meals: Turkey tacos, casseroles, oregon adjacent idiosyncratic pies are each connected the array erstwhile you person a freezer stocked with turkey portions.

How Will You Use Your Leftover Turkey?

Freezing your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers is a great way to bask that vacation spirit agelong aft Thanksgiving! Plus, you tin consciousness bully astir reducing food waste in the process.

What are immoderate of your favourite ways to usage turkey leftovers? We’d emotion to perceive astir it! Leave america a remark letting america know.