By Jennifer Theurer

For some, the holidays are a time to indulge in their favorite foods and gather with friends and family, but leftovers need to be handled properly to keep from spreading holiday cheer with a side of botulism.

According to Kaitlin Moore, Kansas State University Research and Extension Nutrition, Food Safety & Health Agent, there is a two-hour window of time before microorganisms start to grow on what’s left of the holiday feast. She says leftovers should be put in a container that allows them to cool quickly in the refrigerator.

“If you know you have a large quantity of leftovers or are going to, I would certainly invest in some shallow containers if you don’t already have some,” Moore said.

When there is a large amount of warm leftovers, Moore suggested putting the leftover’s container in a larger container filled with cold water or a combination of cold water and ice to cool the food before storing it in the refrigerator.

“Stirring up that hot food frequently, trying to let all that steam escape and the surrounding cold temperature is going to help cool it down pretty fast,” she said. “We should never be putting a large quantity of warm or hot food in the refrigerator.”

Moore says if the leftovers are stored within that two-hour window they can be safely eaten up to four days later.