OAKLAND, Calif., October 29, 2004 — Turkey roasted to perfection, mouthwatering gravy, buttery mashed potatoes, not-too-tangy cranberry sauce—Ah yes, Thanksgiving dinner was fabulous and everyone is as stuffed as the turkey. For many, Thanksgiving isn't just about the bounty of the feast — it's about the leftovers you eat the days following. In fact, according to a recent survey* conducted by the makers of GLAD food storage products, 87 percent of Americans will consume leftovers in the week following the big feast and 85 percent of the people preparing the Thanksgiving meal plan it this way.

With so many people purposely making leftovers, they should be called "planned-overs." After all, nearly 60 percent of Thanksgiving cooks intentionally make too much turkey and another 25 percent make more stuffing to enjoy later. Potatoes also get an encore performance at the table with about 15 percent of cooks making extra spuds.

Just how many appearances do leftovers make over the course of the week following the holiday? For about 50 percent of people it's about two to three meals, while die-hard Turkey Day leftover lovers (8 percent) will have at least six meals containing leftovers.

Storing Leftovers
With leftovers inevitable, plan for storing them properly by stocking up on food storage products. Consider the following tips for saving and sharing your leftovers:

• Homeward Bound. Send guests home with leftovers packed in disposable, reusable containers like GLADWare. They're sturdy enough to transport and inexpensive enough that you won't mind losing them to family and friends. Plus these stackable containers come in a variety of sizes—entrée size for turkey slices, mini-rounds for cranberry sauce, side dishes for gravy and soup & salad-sized containers for leftover mashed potatoes. Simply pop a container in the microwave and you'll have a quick meal in minutes.
• Chill Out. Freeze individual portions of leftovers like biscuits in Press'n Seal™ wrap. Simply place biscuits on one sheet of Press'n Seal wrap, cover with another sheet and seal around each biscuit. When ready to eat, simply cut off the portions you need and thaw. Press'n Seal wrap is also great for sending home leftovers. It seals to practically any surface — including paper plates.
• No Spills. Keep leftover liquids like gravy and cranberry sauce from spilling in the fridge by covering containers with Press'n Seal wrap. The wrap can also prevent messes when transporting dishes.
• One Dish Favorites. Disposable bakeware such as OvenWare is perfect for preparing casseroles. Bake in them, then freeze and re-heat when turkey is a distant memory!
• Packin' and Snackin'. Sort turkey meat so that smaller pieces of meat are in one container, ready to use in soups, salads or casseroles, while larger pieces are packed separately for sandwiches or to reheat and eat.

Leftover Food Safety
Food safety experts recommend you refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures help prevent most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Ensure your holiday is a healthy one by:

• Refrigerating leftovers within two hours of the meal.
• Cooling warm leftovers rapidly by dividing them into small, shallow containers and refrigerating. Once chilled, pack in sealable, disposable storage containers or zipper food storage bags. Refrigerate or freeze.
• Removing stuffing immediately from the turkey and carve all meat from the bird; chill separately.

Leftover Makeover
Give leftovers new life with some of these ideas:

• Refrigerate or freeze the turkey carcass and simmer later to make soup.
• Use cranberry sauce as a dessert sauce, drizzled over ice cream or pound cake.
• Combine mashed potatoes with chopped-up turkey to make turkey hash.
• Dice vegetables left over from the crudité platter and simmer in soup.
• Shred turkey and add to cooked pasta; toss with bottled Alfredo sauce.
• Turn leftover bread or rolls into bread pudding.

*Results for the Thanksgiving Leftover Survey are based upon interviews conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) on behalf of the GLAD Products Company among 1,045 adults (509 men, 536 women) 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States. The surveys were conducted October 15-18, 2004 and both have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.