Leftover Storage Tips

The Mr. Food Test Kitchen shares their own food safety and refrigerator leftover storage tips! This easy-to-read chart ensures your own holiday leftovers will be wrapped and put away to be safely enjoyed a second time.

1. No food should be allowed to sit out at room temperature for more than two hours (see Note).
    
2. Place food into shallow containers, divvying leftovers into smaller or personal-sized portions, and immediately put in the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
    
3. Foods must be kept covered in a refrigerator at the proper safe temperature zone of 38 to 40 degrees F.

Note

This guide refers to a total of two hours during a food’s lifetime, and doesn’t mean two hours every time you take it out of the refrigerator. And, of course, if you have any doubt about whether or not a food is still fresh and safe to eat: Be safe and throw it out.

For a great way to use leftovers, try our Ham Frittata. It's so yummy, nobody'll know it was made with leftovers!