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The meal is over, the platters have been scraped, and half a turkey sits on the counter. Most of us want it gone from the counter and into the refrigerator before it becomes a problem. After that, the interesting question is what to make from it.
Here are eight answers, from the traditional to the slightly unexpected, plus the rules for keeping it all safe.
First, store it right
Get leftovers into the refrigerator within two hours of leaving the oven. Carve the meat off the bones and pack it in shallow containers, so it cools quickly. Use refrigerated turkey within three to four days. If you cannot, freeze it. Frozen turkey stays safe indefinitely, but quality fades, so aim to use it within a few months.
Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees F. A set of glass food storage containers makes sorting easier, and you can see what you have.
The first night: what to do with the bird. The turkey’s journey from table to refrigerator should be quick. Do not leave the platter out during dessert and coffee. Strip the meat from the carcass while it is still warm, since it comes off more easily, and separate the dark meat and white meat into different containers. Different cuts suit different dishes: breast slices for sandwiches, thigh meat for soups and hash.
Label the containers with the date and the contents. In a crowded refrigerator after a holiday, a strip of tape and a marker saves a lot of guessing three days later.
1. The hot open-faced sandwich
Place slices of turkey over bread and ladle hot gravy on top. Serve with mashed potatoes. It is the diner standard, and it comes together in ten minutes if the gravy is ready.
2. Turkey salad. Dice the meat and fold it with mayonnaise, chopped celery, a little onion, salt and pepper. A squeeze of lemon or a spoonful of mustard sharpens it. Serve on toast or lettuce.
3. Turkey noodle soup. Simmer the carcass for stock (see below), add carrots, celery, onion and cooked turkey, then finish with noodles or rice. A bit of lemon and parsley brings it to life.
4. Turkey hash
Dice potatoes and cook them in a skillet until brown, add chopped onion and diced turkey, and press into a cake. Top each portion with a fried egg. It is also excellent with leftover stuffing folded in.
5. Turkey pot pie. Make a quick gravy-style filling with butter, flour and broth, add peas, carrots and turkey, and top with a pie crust or biscuit dough. Bake until golden. A pot pie turns a plain leftover into a full dinner.
6. Turkey quesadillas. Layer shredded turkey with cheese in a tortilla and griddle until crisp. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
7. Turkey fried rice. Use cold, day-old rice. Scramble an egg in a hot pan, add the rice, turkey, peas and carrots, and season with soy sauce. Cold rice fries better than fresh because it is drier. Keep cooked rice refrigerated and use it promptly.
Planning the week
Eight ideas will not all fit in four days, so pick by timing. Cook the sandwiches, the salad and the hash first, since they use the most tender meat and are the fastest. The soup and pot pie can use the odds and ends and the dark meat. Anything you will not eat in time goes in the freezer, in portions sized for one meal.
Frozen turkey is best in soups, pot pies and casseroles, where texture matters less. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and heat it until it is steaming.
And if it all feels like a lot of turkey, it is. Give some away. Send guests home with a container of meat and a few slices of pie.
Keeping the gravy and the sides
Gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce all play a part in leftover cooking. Gravy goes into the refrigerator in a small, sealed container and keeps for a few days; reheat it to a boil before using. Stuffing makes a good base for hash or can be pressed into a skillet and fried as cakes. Cranberry sauce is the classic spread on a club sandwich or a turkey and cheese melt.
Mashed potatoes shape into patties and fry in butter until crisp. A potato cake with a spoonful of cranberry sauce and a slice of turkey is a small, excellent lunch.
A note on freezing
Freeze turkey in flat, sealed bags with the air pressed out. They stack, thaw quickly and protect against freezer burn. Write the date on each bag. Broth freezes well in jars with an inch of headspace. Do not refreeze meat that has been thawed on the counter, and thaw only in the refrigerator, in cold water that is changed regularly, or in the microwave if you will cook it right away.
8. The club sandwich. Toast three slices of bread and stack with turkey, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Hold the stack with toothpicks and cut into quarters. It is a diner staple for a reason.
Make stock from the carcass. Break the carcass into pieces and put it in a large pot with an onion, carrot and celery. Cover with cold water and simmer gently for two to three hours. Strain, cool quickly and refrigerate or freeze. Homemade stock beats the boxed kind in soup and gravy.
