It’s one of the best parts of the Christmas holidays.
But the government’s food watchdog says your plate of leftover Christmas dinner could be putting you and your family at risk of food poisoning.
By storing leftovers at the wrong temperature, many people are letting harmful bacteria tuck into their own Christmas feast creating a potential health hazard.
So, what is the right temperature to set your fridge to this Christmas?
According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), your fridge needs to be set to at least 5°C (41°F) or lower to store food safely.
The agency warns that you should be checking your fridge’s temperature at least once per week using a thermometer.
If your fridge is warmer than you expect, the food could go off faster and become unsafe to eat before you have a chance to enjoy it.
Robin May, Chief Scientific Advisor at the FSA: ‘Don’t be a turkey – our new data shows us that people are taking some unnecessary and avoidable risks in the way they cook, prepare and store food.’
According to a survey by the FSA, many Britons are putting themselves in danger of food poisoning during the holidays.
This is especially true when it comes to leftovers since any time spent outside of the fridge allows bacteria to start growing.
The FSA says almost half of Britons are playing ‘buffet roulette’ by leaving food out of the fridge and eating it a few hours later.
According to the FSA’s official guidance, food should only be kept out of the fridge for a maximum of four hours at a time.
So, if you are planning on coming back for seconds, make sure you don’t leave it too late before getting the food somewhere cool.
However, when it comes to chilling your food, it’s vital to make sure you are doing it properly.
The FSA found that 27 per cent of people are likely to leave food that should be chilled in a cool place like a porch or garage due to a lack of space in the fridge.
Mr May says: ‘If you’re cooking for a crowd, there’s lots to think about and maybe not much room in the fridge.’
But while it might things might be crowded, it’s important that you properly refrigerate anything you plan on eating later.
Experts have previously suggested that leftovers should be placed at the top of your fridge, leaving the cooler areas at the bottom for fresh food.
A raw turkey, on the other hand, must be stored as low as possible to prevent any juices or contaminants from leaking onto your food.
At the most, the FSA says only to refrigerate leftovers for two days before you eat them.
After that, the build-up of germs could make the food dangerous to consume.
But if you don’t have room in the fridge, or in your stomach, the FSA says that you can safely freeze leftovers to eat at a later point.
However, your freezer needs to be at least -18°C (-0.4°F) to completely stop the development of germs.
Likewise, the FSA found that you might be putting yourself at risk of food poisoning even before the dinner is cooked.
Of those who responded, 46 per cent said they didn’t always check the use-by dates when preparing food.
A further two-fifths of people said they occasionally cooked meat such as pigs-in-blankets or turkey which is past its use-by date.
While the ‘Best Before’ date on food packaging refers to quality, the use-by date is about food safety so it’s important not to eat food beyond this point.
If you want to extend your food’s lifetime further, you can freeze food at any point before its use-by date and safely eat it later.
Mr May says: ‘Although we are talking about this in a light-hearted way, there’s a serious message underlying the data.
‘No one likes being ill over the holidays, especially at a time when friends and family come together, including people who are more vulnerable to food poisoning, such as older relatives or those who are pregnant.’
