Food safety tips on how to store Thanksgiving leftovers

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - As Thanksgiving approaches, food safety experts would like to remind the community about the dos and don'ts of Thanksgiving leftovers. The leftovers are often the most enjoyable part of Thanksgiving. If you are still enjoying turkey leftovers, USDA food safety specialist Marianne Gravely has a few tips to keep that side dish of bacteria from brewing. One tip is to not store leftovers in the garage -- no matter how cold it is. "No matter where you live, it's not reliably cold enough to keep your food outside or in the garage. When the sun shines, it can warm up. It might be 40 degrees or colder at night in your garage, but it might not be in the daytime, especially if you actually park a car in your garage. That will warm it up," Gravely said. She also says the back porch isn't a safe place for food storage either. "Even outside, some people will put their food out on the back porch. Again, when the sun shines, it's warmer in there, so it's just not reliably safe. If you don't have room in the refrigerator for all the food, then use a cooler. You can fill that with ice or cold sources. If it's cold at night, you can make ice. But a cooler with ice will be reliably at a safe temperature," said Gravely. If you have questions, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888 674-6854.

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