Before proceeding to our main topic, how long does cooked turkey breast last in the fridge? First of all, let’s discuss about turkey.
The turkey is famous poultry birds that most people love to keep it for its unique features such as giving eggs and its meat, which tastes like chicken.
It is also considered a large bird in Meleagris’s genus, and it’s native to America if we talk about wild turkey so that it might be dangerous for humans and a small bird.
There are two different turkey genders, such as male and female, but the mature male turkey is called tom or gobbler, and the adult female turkey is called hen or jake.
That was short info about turkey. Now let’s jump to how long does cook turkey breast last.
Page Contents
Turkey Breast Shelf Life
| Whole/Cooked | Room Temperature | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Turkey Last | 2 Hours | 1-2 days | 1 Year |
| Cooked Turkey Last | 1 Hour | 3-4 days | 2-3 Months |
How Long Does Turkey Breast Last
It depends that where are you storing them and what condition turkey breast store you want to accumulate right now, I mean that you have cooked, whole or cut breast, Let’s discuss about all those conditions that how they long last in different situations.
Unopened Package
If you have whole, parts – steaks, cutlets, tenderloins, wings, drumsticks, Sausage, cooked, sliced turkey breast it will last around 1-2 days.
To prevent your turkey breast from becoming spoiled, make sure to eat them as soon as possible.
If you want to extend the shelf life of turkey breast, it would be better to store in the freezer.
Freezer
It’s the best choice for everyone to extend the shelf life of chicken breast.
If you have a whole turkey, it will last around one year in the freezer.
If you have turkey breast, it will last around 6-9 months in the freezer.
The cooked turkey with gravy will last six months in the freezer.
How To Store Cooked Turkey
Do you have a leftover turkey breast or cooked meat? Kindly keep them in the fridge for extending their shelf life. Don’t ever think to leave them at room temperature because it may become spoiled within the hour.
If you want to eat leftover breast once again on the other day, make sure to keep them in the fridge within one hour. Otherwise, maybe they become rotten, which may change their taste and suitable for eating.
Putting the leftover in the freezer make sure that you have divided them into the parts, you don’t how to separate it? Here you go!
If you want to separate the breast, you have two options. Keep it whole or in halves. To remove the breast, you need to cut it along the rib cage, Make sure you are cutting them to the end of the neck on both sides of the birds. To split the breast into halves, it would be better if you place the breast on one side and cut the breastbone through the bone.
Did you have decided to eat the leftover breast? Make sure to take out as much from the fridge that you can eat. If you take out by mistakenly more breast that you can’t use, and still they left again then don’t let them more then an hour at room temperature directly place rest of them in the fridge.
While reheating turkey or any other food make sure that you are not steaming at high pressure, This is the last tip of storing leftover food that doesn’t reheat them more than once because it may change their taste after reheating twice.
How to Store an Uncooked Turkey
If you are planning to prepare turkey for a party, you will buy it before the party, That’s why if you have cooked or uncooked turkey storing them properly is very important to keep it fresh. We have discussed above cooked one that how you can store it now let’s proceed to the uncooked one.
1. Keep Them Packed After Purchasing From The Store
Once you purchased it from the store, It’s recommended that don’t remove it from the original packaging because once you remove it from the original packing bacteria can quickly enter to unpacked meat.
Before purchasing it from the store, make sure that they are packed well, and it’s not allowing the entry of any bacteria, gas and liquid.
2. Store Uncooked Turkey In The Freezer
If you are keeping meat at this temperature of 0 °F (−18 °C), The meat will become completely frozen. Do you know that freezing meat is the best way to retain its quality? Once you freeze them, they will be fresh for an extended period.
Do you have any plane to use turkey right now? If Your answer is no! then it would be better to keep them in ice.
3. Wrap Them
It’s recommended to wrap them in the Vaccum sealed bags before storing it on the freezer. If you don’t have sealed bags, then wrap them tightly in the aluminium foil or any plastic that you have.
Don’t rinse them before storing because doing this may be harmful bacteria spread around your meat that may be spoiled your all breast and it may produce bad smell.
Its prefer to keep them in the Vacuum sealed bags!
4. Store Whole Turkey Instead Of Parts
If you want to keep your uncooked turkey fresh for a year, then it would be better to store whole meat and don’t cut them on the parts because If you cut them in parts so wings and drumsticks may stay fresh for less then nine months.
If you store your meat for a long time, then it’s the best tip to store whole meat in the freezer, that may last for a year. But it’s recommended to eat them as soon as possible because it may change their taste to lose its quality day by day.
Buying Tips
- While buying turkey meat, first of all, take care of safe food handling, the label of packages.
- Make sure about packaging as well, that how they are sealed. If it’s tightly sealed, then you should go for it.
- Many people ignore this step, but this step is essential while buying meat, Ask them to provide a separate bag or plastic and keep your meat in a separate bag from other groceries.
How To Freeze Cooked Turkey Breast
Are you looking for the best way to freeze cooked turkey? Then follow these simple steps.
- Before placing the turkey in the freezer or sealed bag, make sure to let them cool down. To cool down turkey put them for 20-30 minutes in the fridge. Also, keep it tightly covered before putting them in the fridge.
- Remove the bones and skin from the turkey and place them in a separate pot. If you don’t have any dogs or such animals that can eat bones, then throw them away, and if you want to make a stock of bone to sell at once, it would be better to place them in a separate container.
- It’s recommended, to wash your hands with good soap before and after touching the turkey meat.
- Sliced the turkey into pieces that makes freezing easy, Cut them with any knife but make sure that slices are three inches or less.
- Now place the turkey pieces in the safety bag, Label the bag( with current date and year), so that will let you know that when it was frozen.
- This is the last step. Now you need to keep the same bag in the freezer for nine months, that is labeled and filled with turkey pieces. Make sure that you have set the freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C) temperature.
Final Thoughts
That was all about how long does cooked turkey breast last in the fridge, I have also explained everything in details that how can you store it for long-lasting.
If you have fresh or cooked turkey freezer is the best place to keep them fresh for a year.
Before buying a turkey, make sure that you have read the buying tips that will help you to pick a fresh one.
Instead of meat which vegetable do you love to eat? If you ask me the same questions, I will choose Edamame as my favorite vegetable.
Dr. Sophia Harrison, an authoritative voice in the field of medicine, is not only the founder of the illustrious Fischer Institute but also its main content curator, bringing a treasure trove of knowledge and expertise to her readers daily.
- Blog, Cooked Turkey, Food, Health, Meat, Shelf Life, Tips, Turkey, Turkey Breast
