<p>We cooked the turkeys on Saturday when we hosted 25 people for dinner. Here we are six days later and we still have some left. I’m trying to avoid cooking dinner this evening. Do you think it’s safe to eat the leftover turkey? If it makes a difference, I’m really tired and would rather not cook. I’m not opposed to ordering a pizza, either. :)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t. My ex-husband would. :)</p>
<p>Go with the pizza, splashmom. :)</p>
<p>Go for the pizza - toss the turkey.</p>
<p>From Butterball -
[Butterball</a> - Contact Us](<a href=“http://www.butterball.com/contact-us#faqs]Butterball”>http://www.butterball.com/contact-us#faqs)</p>
<p>Thanks all! I figured it was probably best not to eat it, so I won’t. Hubby, on the other hand, says he is eating it! Yikes!</p>
<p>I would donate it to the folks posting on the “best dog food” thread before you H has a chance to touch it. My dog will definitely appreciate a week old roasted turkey :)</p>
<p>This is the reason I love the Parent Cafe. Quick advice on life’s real questions.</p>
<p>FWIW - This time of year when turkey breasts can be bought at a good price, I will roast them for turkey sandwich lunches. Serve for a week - never any issues. YMMV</p>
<p>Throw packages of lunch meat away after 2-3 days in the frig?! What planet do these people live on?</p>
<p>Splashmom - I had a similar question about another food a few weeks ago, and started a thread. One poster told me about a website called stilltasty.com</p>
<p>It has a wealth of information!</p>
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I think it’s the planet where their company is where people go to get replacements for what they just threw out!</p>
<p>Here’s a governmental source -
[Meat</a> in the Refrigerator: How Long Does It Last?](<a href=“http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/meatinrefrig.html]Meat”>Cold Food Storage Chart | FoodSafety.gov)</p>
<p>Still past the limit for the OP.</p>
<p>Lunchmeat is likely to last longer than a few days because most processed meats are full of chemical additives.</p>
<p>The turkey carcass has its own special issues that make it a candidate for tossing sooner rather than later. </p>
<p>1) It probably sat out at room temperature for an hour or more after being cooked.</p>
<p>2) It has been handled a lot, both during carving, cleanup, and people picking at it for sandwiches and left overs.</p>
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<p>I actually carve the whole thing immediately and store the leftovers in a container. I then either toss the carcass or freeze it to make stock. I’d eat the leftovers for maybe three days. That’s it. Six days? Nah. I wouldn’t do that. Food poisoning is no joke.</p>
<p>No! Don’t eat it.</p>
<p>Did he live Splashmom?</p>
<p>Use your nose and eyes. If it doesn’t smell funny and looks normal, you’re fine.</p>
<p>The “food safety” sites are VERY conservative.</p>
<p>We ate the rest of our turkey last night…chopped it up and made Mexican lasagna. We do pull the meat off the carcass and package it right after the Thanksgiving meal. It’s morning and we’re all OK.</p>
<p>I agree with Momcat. Humans come equipped to know when meat has gone bad. We ate ours six days later, with no repercussions. What was still left then I froze, along with the leftover turkey soup.</p>
<p>The sites have to be uber cautious. But meat is not like a can of soup or an egg salad where something is growing inside that you can’t see/smell/taste. If it’s turning, most people can tell.</p>
<p>I ate the last of our turkey on Thursday night – a week after cooking it. I had recooked it as chili. It’s now Sunday, and I’m still OK. </p>
<p>We use the same rule as MomCat2, although my husband pushes the limits more than I will. Maybe we both have iron-clad stomachs.</p>
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<p>Recooking in chili changes the equation. That would heat the turkey through and through to a temperature well above 140 degrees necessary to kill all bacteria. That would be the best way to use turkey that has been in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. I used the leftovers to make soup after four days (but I had to go buy some chicken because we had almost no left over turkey at that point).</p>
<p>I made Mexican lasagna a few days ago with the rest of the Thanksgiving turkey. We all survived although it was pushing my comfort limits (but not my H who gave me “the look” when I questioned whether we should still use the turkey meat.)</p>