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• Nov 23, 2006 11:00 pm US/Eastern
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  Health: Thanksgiving Leftovers

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Health: Thanksgiving Leftovers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― After the big Thanksgiving Feast, your refrigerator is probably packed with food, but Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl reports those leftovers may not be as safe as you think.

If your family lingers over the meal or is slow cleaning up, it could be a problem. Food left at room temperature is a perfect environment for bacteria to begin growing.

According to Jennifer Quinlan, a food microbiologist at Drexel University, those leftovers need to be in the refrigerator within two hours of being cooked.

"If it's much longer than two hours, you really should throw it away," said Quinlan.

Any longer, you run the risk of being sickened by your food.

"Often times it's going to be diarrhea, sometimes it's with or without a fever depending upon what the bacteria is that you're infected with," Quinlan said.

So put away those leftovers, but try to store them in shallow containers or fill up the deep containers only part of the way.

"That's simply because they cool down more quickly," said Quinlan.

Iit might be difficult but it is best not to overcrowd the refrigerator because cool air won't be able to circulate.

Don't forget desert.

If it's a pie that you made from scratch you can't be sure that it's safe at room temperature. You should always refrigerate the pie.

Check the temperature in the refrigerator too, it should be at 40 degrees or lower to really slow down the growth of any bacteria.

If you did leave your food out too long and you think reheating leftovers in the microwave or oven will kill off any germs, think again.

"You could kill bacteria in one portion, but still have another portion of the food that's not reheated as well," said Quinlan. "We don't consider it enough to be a safety measure."

And if you're wondering how long you can keep those leftovers, Quinlan said by the end of Thanksgiving weekend you should get rid them.

"As a general rule three to four days is really as long as you want to keep cooked foods in the refrigerator," said Quinlan.

If you want to enjoy those foods any later than that, you can freeze them.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)