Three to four days in the fridge—that’s the max for cooked foods, says James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. “That means no week-old turkey sandwiches,” he says. After that, their taste and safety may suffer.
If you don’t think you’ll get through everything during that time, you can freeze many holiday staples, including cooked turkey. They’ll be good for two to six months. According to Andress, other dishes that freeze well are stuffing (or dressing), green bean casserole, and sweet potato casserole.
Freezing may make the onions, bell peppers, and celery in vegetable dishes a little softer than they would otherwise be, she says. “Creamed vegetables may lose flavor, so it’s best if they are frozen for short periods of time.” And, she says, dishes with cream or creamy soup-based sauces may separate and be a little watery upon thawing, but they will still be usable. Note that for safety, most frozen leftovers should be reheated completely to at least 165° F before eating, according to the CDC.
You don’t have to decide what to freeze right away—you can do it anytime within the four-day window. If a food is safe to eat, it’s safe to freeze, Andress says. However, food you’ve frozen after it has been sitting in the fridge for a while may not taste as good as it would have if you had frozen it earlier.
