Tips for soup storage
This is my strategy for using poultry leftovers in soup:
- After dinner, I like to quickly cool down any leftover turkey and store it in the refrigerator.
- I use the bones to make a large pot of turkey stock the following day. After letting the stock simmer for several hours, I stir in frozen ice bottles to speed up the cooling process.
- If I’m not going to use the turkey meat and stock right away, I freeze them and transfer the stock into tiny containers to be refrigerated once more.
- I always reheat my soup to 165º F before serving.
The longer the soup is safe, the faster it was cooled and chilled. Do not eat anything if you notice any signs of spoiling.
Typical indicators of spoiling that one should be mindful of are as follows:
- Off-odors
- Slimy texture
- Color changes
Contact the US Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), toll-free, with any questions you may have about meat, poultry, or egg products. You can also send them an email at [email protected]. The hotline offers services in both English and Spanish.
Mar 2020 | Nellie Oehler | Peer reviewed article (Gray level)
Feb 2020 | Food Hero recipe Peer reviewed (Gray level)
Feb 2020 | Food Hero recipe Peer reviewed (Gray level)
If you’d like to know more about this subject, check out these additional OSU Extension resources:
The longer the soup is safe to eat, the faster it cools and is chilled. Photo Credit: fudio – Adobe Stock.
Leftover Stuffing and Gravy
Though some may contend that half the enjoyment of well-liked holiday meals lies in the leftovers, it’s surprising how quickly both stuffing and gravy go bad. Stuffing, which is frequently covered in meat drippings, should only be eaten after two days at most in the refrigerator. The gravy should always be brought to a rolling boil to properly kill bacteria before serving again, so follow the same two-day rule with it. The good news is that extra gravy and stuffing can be frozen to prolong their shelf life by up to four months.
Foodborne illness can result from any meat and cheese-containing food that is kept out of the refrigerator for longer than two hours. This includes the partially consumed pizza box you kept out in case someone else wanted to eat some more. After preparing your pizza, place it in the refrigerator and it will keep for up to four days; an average slice should keep for three days. Following that, bacteria may start to proliferate and cause food poisoning.
If cooked lasagna is kept in a tightly sealed container to keep out excess moisture and other contaminants, it can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days. The best indicators that lasagna has turned are dried-out noodles or a sour odor coming from the cheese and tomato sauce.
Temperature for poultry storage
Generally speaking, life starts at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and ends at 140 degrees Fahrenheit; however, some bacteria produce heat-resistant spores that cannot be destroyed by cooking.
Time and temperature are important for safety. Generally speaking, life starts at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and ends at 140 degrees Fahrenheit; however, some bacteria produce heat-resistant spores that cannot be destroyed by cooking. This implies that the longer food remains safe to eat, the faster you can cool it and remove it from the “danger zone.”
The suggested storage days are only suggestions; the actual duration of the food’s room temperature exposure and the temperature of your refrigerator will determine how long it should be stored. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few more days if you chilled your turkey to refrigerator temperature within the suggested two to three hours and then quickly chilled any leftover soup you made. It might not be safe if you left it on the stove for a few hours and didn’t cool it down quickly.
Our food safety recommendations state that whole, raw turkeys and fowl should be refrigerated for 1-2 days at 40º F. Poultry can be frozen for up to one year.
