How to Keep Leftovers Delicious and Safe

Are you someone who eats a big turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving and then quickly gets over the leftover thing? Or do you love to stretch out the feast as long as possible?

“Think back to how much food you ended up throwing away last year,” says Amy Keating, RD, a Consumer Reports nutritionist. “Food waste is a big problem in this country every day, but especially on Thanksgiving.” Americans will toss 316 million pounds of food on the holiday this year, according to ReFed, a nonprofit group focused on preventing food waste. 

You probably don’t need as much food as you think, especially when it comes to the turkey. The amount of turkey wasted on Thanksgiving is equivalent to 8.2 million whole birds, ReFed says. And not everyone at the holiday table is going to have a serving of every side dish you prepare, Keating says.

“You may need enough of the popular sides, such as stuffing or mashed potatoes, to serve everyone, but otherwise, count on about half of the people at your table eating each side,” she says. The Guest-timator calculator from the Natural Resources Defense Council can help you figure out how much food you need, taking into account how long you’re willing to eat leftovers.

As you make this year’s dinner, Keating also suggests taking notes on what you served, how many people were there, and how much food was left. “Keep the notes where you store your Thanksgiving recipes,” Keating says. “They’ll come in handy next year.”