Getty Stewart Explains Which Holiday Leftovers to Freeze and Not to Freeze

By: Getty Stewart, P.H.Ec. 
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Article originally posted HERE on gettystewart.com. 

While the holidays may be a thought of the past, the importance of food safety is never over. Getty Stewart, a Professional Home Economist (P.H.Ec.) has fantastic advice about storing holiday leftovers. Read below! 

HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS IN THE FRIDGE

​Store leftovers in the fridge once they are cooled – you don’t want to heat up the fridge and compromise everything in it! Transferring food to shallow containers helps cool food more quickly. Wrap it well to avoid texture, flavor and quality loss. But fridge time is limited, use the following chart as a guideline for how long holiday leftovers will typically keep. 

FREEZING HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS

​Here’s a quick reference chart to help you sort out which holiday leftovers you can successfully freeze and which won’t freeze well.

Let me be clear, you can freeze just about any food, and, as long as it was safe to eat before freezing, it will be safe to eat after freezing. However, some foods, like the ones on the “What Not To Freeze” list, do not freeze well due to loss of texture and appearance.  

TIPS FOR FREEZING SUCCESS

• remove as much air as possible
• cool food completely before freezing
• wrap and seal well with freezer quality containers or bags
• use leftovers within 3-4 months for best quality
• freeze in useable portion sizes for convenience and ease of thawing 
• don’t freeze food you don’t like – the freezer will not make it taste any better!
• don’t freeze food that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours – the freezer won’t make it safe
• it’s okay to refreeze food that has already been frozen – the quality deteriorates every time, but the USDA says …

“Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. Freeze leftovers within 3-4 days. Do not refreeze any foods left outside the refrigerator longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °F.”

TIPS FOR THAWING 

•  Thaw food safely. Freezing does not kill pathogens, it just slows them down. Once the temperature reaches the danger zone, 4°C-60°C (40°F-140°F) their numbers will increase rapidly.  After two hours at those temperatures, bacterial loads can be dangerously high.
• Thaw food in the fridge, in cold water baths or in the microwave.

About Getty Stewart

Getty Stewart is a Professional Home Economist, writer and speaker with a passion for helping others grow, preserve and enjoy fresh, seasonal produce. She is the founder of Fruit Share Winnipeg and author of the Prairie Fruit Cookbook. Getty offers practical tips and seasonal recipes on her food blog at GettyStewart.com, in workshops and through TV, radio and print media. Getty is a mom, gardener and outdoor enthusiast. Visit her website at gettystewart.com. 

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