Leftovers

One thing about the holidays is that you always end up with a lot of leftovers.  They can be great for lunches and snacks in the following days, but you have to be careful about what you re-serve.

First, make sure the food is safe before deciding it is leftover-worthy.  If you left out a bowl of dip most of the night, toss it.  An all-vegetable dip may still be safe, but not anything with dairy, meat, or fish in it.  Many people leave out dinner platters when they serve dessert.  Try to find room for them in the fridge while you're changing plates and putting whipped cream on the pie.  It's ok if the guests spend an extra ten minutes chatting before dessert.

How long can you keep food in the fridge?  My general rule is that cooked dishes are good for five days.  Uncooked veggies (like salad) get two.  And cream pies need to be eaten within a day or two.  They start to separate and get icky.  If you know you won't finish a cooked dish, like stuffing or a roast, in under a week, freezing is a good solution.  First, get the product down to refrigerator temperature to minimize freezer burn.  Get as much air out of the freezer bag as possible, using a vacuum sealer if you have one.  Label it with the date it was made and put it in the deep freeze.  You can enjoy your holiday meal again in January.  Fruit pies and most kinds of cakes are freeze-able.

Basically, don't re-serve anything that was sitting out longer than four hours unless it's bread, nuts, or uncut fruit.  Everything else requires refrigeration for future meals.