The average spend per person on Christmas dinner is ?20 - and a recent survey by One Poll showed that despite sexual equality, mum remains the person most likely to cook the Christmas meal, spending an average of 3.3 hours in the kitchen on the big day.
Families will normally cook masses of food, just in case any unexpected visitors should arrive. Leftovers are also part of the festive season and often, families will re-use any food on Boxing Day. Traditionally, there?s plenty of turkey left after dinner and this is often "recycled".
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Storing leftovers
Whether it's used for another dinner on Boxing Day, sandwiches, or more exotic menus such as curry, we can always find ways to eat the leftover turkey. Should there be any that we simply can't manage over the Christmas period? well, that can be frozen and brought out again at a later date!
With all the expense and preparation for Christmas, the last thing anyone wants is to give everyone a bout of food poisoning due to the incorrect storage of leftovers. Food safety takes on a new significance at Christmas and it?s important to store foods in a certain way to avoid any sickness over the holiday period.
Two-hour rule
The two-hour rule relates to how quickly harmful bacteria can grow at room temperature. You must minimise the amount of time cooked food is left out on the table, a kitchen worktop or on the plate. Hot foods must be refrigerated within two hours of being exposed to room temperature.
First, allow the food to cool and then refrigerate to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria. Alternatively, if you wish to keep the food hot so that people can enjoy extra helpings, store it on a hotplate that will maintain its temperature at higher than 140?F.
For any food you wish to keep until a later date, divide any large portions into smaller pieces and refrigerate in separate containers - this ensures the food isn't still hot in the centre when you pop it in the fridge or freezer. An ideal temperature for your fridge is 40?F or lower.
If you're heating up cooked meat from the fridge, make sure it's heated to 165?F and check the temperature with a food thermometer to make sure. When reheating sauces, soups or gravy, keep stirring until they're piping hot.
Reheating frozen food
Any frozen leftovers should be thawed before they can be safely reheated. This can be done in the fridge, in the microwave or by placing them in cold water. The fridge is the best option, but it's also the slowest.
To thaw frozen leftovers in cold water, put them into a leak-proof food bag and change the water around every 30 minutes so the food will thaw more quickly.
Turkey stored in the fridge will be safe to eat for three or four days afterwards if refrigerated at the correct temperature. Frozen turkey, in theory, should last indefinitely. However, it's best to eat it within six months in terms of quality.
Gravy and stuffing stored in the fridge will also last for up to four days, as will cooked lamb, beef, pork, veal or casseroles. Cooked bacon will last in the fridge for up to seven days. This is just a general rule of thumb - if you think the food smells or looks off, throw it in the bin.
Guests' leftovers
Sometimes, if you've been a dinner guest at someone else's house, they may be kind enough to give you some leftovers to take home with you in a "doggy bag" - though not necessarily for the dog!
If you're visiting family or friends on Christmas Day and they send you home with food, the same rules apply: don't leave your food at room temperature for more than two hours. It's a good idea to carry a fridge-box in your car, as you don't want to be embarking on the drive home with your heaters full on and a car full of food!
Refrigerate leftovers as soon as you get home and treat them in the same way you would treat cooked food prepared in your own kitchen.
Finally, enjoy your Christmas dinner ? even if you are still eating it 2 or 3 weeks later. Christmas comes but once a year!
For all your festive leftover storage needs, check out Solent Plastics' wide range of air-tight food containers.