If your planning on eating them after four days, the freezer is the better option.
Thanksgiving is fun and all, but perhaps the best part is the mountain of leftovers you have after it's all over.
The USDA has some tips to follow to make sure they make for some easy meals rather than stomach sickness. As a blanket rule, food should be stored within two hours of cooking, in either a refrigerator or freezer.
So, there's time to eat but you'll want to divide the food into smaller portions soon after so it can cool quickly. Most importantly, the turkey should also be portioned to cool quickly, otherwise, bacteria will continue to multiply.
76% of USDA survey respondents said they would let leftovers cool before putting them in the fridge. Don't do that, it could make the food unsafe.
Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days. This means you have until the Monday after Thanksgiving to eat all of them. If you plan on eating them after three to four days, out them in the freezer where they will be at their best quality for three to six months.
When it is time to break the leftovers out, you'll want to keep a couple things in mind, especially when getting them out of the freezer.
First, it's safe to warm them up without letting the leftovers thaw on the counter. Letting them thaw only opens the door for bacteria to grow. For meat, like turkey, you want to get the temperature up to 165 degrees.
For sauces, soups, and gravy, bring them to a rolling boil in a sauce pan.
And when you reheating the the microwave, use a microwave-safe glass container or ceramic container - never use plastic containers or covers which can release chemicals. Cover those dishes for even heating and add some liquid if needed. The moist heat created will help destroy harmful bacteria and cook your food uniformly.