Safely store holiday leftovers

For many people, November and December are packed with fabulous family meals and leftovers from those meals. 

But this time of year can also be peak season for food poisoning. 

The experts at Consumer Reports have tips on how to store your favorite leftovers safely this holiday season.

Foodborne illness-causing bacteria can grow on leftovers in just a few minutes, so you need to get everything refrigerated within 2 hours.

When it’s time to clear the table and pack up leftovers, instead of putting a whole dish in the fridge, it’s better to separate food into smaller portions to help speed up cooling. 

And make sure to use storage containers that are tight enough to keep air out.

CR looked at silicone bags that you can wash and reuse. 

These W&P Porter bags are dishwasher-safe and take up very little storage space. 

But CR says to take a look around your home and reuse those Mason jars and other food-safe containers you already have before you buy more stuff.

And if you’re not going to eat your leftovers within three or four days, freeze them. 

But before you do, the best thing you can do is get all of the air out. 

For some people, there’s nothing better for that than a vacuum sealer. 

That way you can fit more food into the freezer and also extend the life of the food up to a year or two instead of just a few months.

The Hamilton Beach NutriFresh is easy to use. It was also one of the fastest vacuum sealers CR tested, which you’ll appreciate if you’re sealing multiple bags of food.

One thing you don’t have to worry about is fruit pies. These can be stored loosely covered on the counter if you’re planning to eat them in one or two days. 

But put that pumpkin pie or any other egg-based or custard pie in the fridge. 

That is, if there’s any left.