The Best Way to Store Leftover Turkey
The existential angst of Thanksgiving leftovers is that you always have too much turkey and not enough gravy. Of course, you can always do a little more, but that’s more work than anyone can afford. If you need another excuse to make extra money as you prepare for the big day, here it is: The best way to keep your sliced turkey moist and flavorful through chilling, freezing, and reheating is to keep the turkey in a little gravy.
By keeping the meat in the sauce, you limit its exposure to air, which can cause it to dry out. Place the sliced turkey in a vacuum sealer or Ziploc bag, then add the gravy. There’s really no such thing as too much, but a one-to-one ratio is ideal. Either vacuum the bag, try to remove as much air as possible by sucking out the air using the water displacement method, or simply place the bag on the table and gently squeeze out as much air as possible. From now on it can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator.
To reheat, let frozen meat defrost. Chilled meat does not require any preparation. Now you can cook the meat in the microwave or sous vide. To microwave it, you can leave it in the bag; either cut off a corner or open the bag an inch or two, then microwave for sixty seconds. Check the temperature, then continue to microwave in thirty second increments until warmed through. For sous vide, place the bags in a 140°F water bath for twenty minutes or until heated through.
Storing in bags means you can save space in your fridge and freezer by storing them flat. Plus, you can easily separate bags of leftover turkey and gravy for guests to take home.
Of course, you can prevent even more moisture loss this Thanksgiving when you carve your turkey by always cutting only what you need, and trim the leftovers from the carcass in large chunks, not slices. Store the turkey as described above, then reheat and carve.