Leftover Thanksgiving Cottage Pie with Turkey | Best Recipe Box (2024)

FAQs

How long will a cooked cottage pie keep in the fridge? ›

How long can you keep Cottage Pie in the fridge? Once you've put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cottage Pie in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

The answer is simple: leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all those delicious leftovers or place them in the freezer to enjoy later.

All appliances vary, these are guidelines only. Oven from chilled: 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5 25-30 mins. Place on a baking tray in the centre of a pre-heated oven. Leave to stand for 2 minutes after heating.

Easily till Monday. As long as you follow good food hygiene, it should be fine for 3-4 days.

FOOLPROOF FREEZING

Make sure the pie is completely cold, then cover it well with cling film and freeze. Always freeze the pie on the day that you make it.

Turkeys can be kept in the freezer indefinitely. However, cook turkeys within 1 year for the best quality.

Snyder points to the USDA FoodKeeper app for best guidance: The tool notes that refrigerated, cooked turkey should be eaten within 4 days. Eat frozen turkey leftovers within 6 months for premier quality.

Like other leftovers, leftover cooked turkey can—and will—go bad. “The texture and smell of turkey will indicate when it has gone bad,” Edwards says. “Generally it will smell bad and get a slimy texture. It's best to throw it away after four days in the fridge or move it to the freezer at that point.”

Do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Use it within 3 to 4 days.

When should you throw out leftover turkey? ›

As a general guideline, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends eating or freezing turkey and other leftovers within three to four days. For Thanksgiving, that means you should eat or freeze by Monday.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for three to four days, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Turkey typically lasts up to four days in the fridge before it goes bad.

The best way to keep the textures of your dish just right and as delicious as before is to use an oven to reheat it. Place your desired serving of cottage pie in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Always reheat food until it is piping hot all the way through i.e. above 75°C for at least 30 seconds. Food should only be reheated once. If ovens or grills are used for reheating, make sure they are preheated.

While most food can be reheated more than once, it is better to only reheat food once which is why it's suggested that you split large portions into smaller ones. Each time you reheat and cool food it is likely that you will alter the food's taste/texture as well as increasing the chances of bacteria growing.

Always cook them properly the first time around, cool them at room temperature for no more than 2 hours, store them in a refrigerator, and reheat them properly before eating. The NHS recommends eating all leftovers in 2 days but at the absolute most, 4 days. If you think you may store food for longer, freeze it.

I eat one portion the same day, refrigerate the remainder for the next 2 days. If I don't fancy the same food three days running I make up individual cottage pies,lasagnes etc. and freeze.

If you're storing leftover cottage pie in the fridge, we recommend not leaving it for more than 3 days. However, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months, making it perfect for prep-ahead dinners.

You can absolutely prepare Cottage Pie to the pre-baking stage and fridge (or freezer) it until the next day. You need to cool it relatively quickly though - hot food shouldn't sit around for more than a couple of hours.