Hosting for the Holidays? Here’s How to Safely Store Your Crowd-Pleasing Dishes

The best and most space-effective way to save all that leftover turkey meat? Slice it off the bones and pop it into Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bags. Each bag has an extended tab and textured, easy-grip seal so you can effortlessly open and close the bag—ideal for post-turkey-carving hands. Plus, the airtight zipper seal ensures that each plastic freezer bag blocks out air and locks in freshness and flavor, so you can enjoy those aforementioned turkey Gobbler sandwiches for days to come.

We know, we know: After a few glasses of wine, throwing a piece of foil over a serving dish and popping it in the fridge sounds so tantalizingly easy. But, hear us out: transferring your leftovers to Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bags ensures you’re saving precious fridge and freezer room and preserving the flavors of meats, soups, gravies and everything in between.

All that extra pumpkin pie will keep much better in the freezer than in the fridge or on the countertop. Just be sure to wrap it tight (we recommend wrapping in foil first, then cling wrap, for extra freshness and for easy oven reheating—just remove the plastic wrap—when the time’s right). When you’re ready to break out the pies and cakes again, thaw them in the fridge overnight, since pie crusts, cake and breads need to reabsorb moisture slowly in order to get the best texture.

Why does the produce section sell actual bushels of parsley when your stuffing recipe called for a ½-cup? Some answers we’ll never have, but we do know you can store herbs much longer in the fridge if you treat them like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers. Slice off the very bottom of their stems and pop them in a mason jar with an inch of water (taking care to change the water every few days) and they’ll last up to three weeks.

No matter what: label, label, label. You’ll save yourself any “sniff tests” later on if you add the food and date to the outside of the bag or container—and this is especially true for the freezer wrapped leftovers that all look the same when wrapped in foil. We recommend a roll of masking tape and a permanent marker, but if you want to get all fancy with a dry erase crayon or special sticky notes, we fully support you.