Large Thanksgiving dinners often result in many leftovers, and Jason Taylor with Washington County Environmental Health shared some tips with KCII News on how to handle those to prevent food-borne illness. He said there’s a certain way to put food in the refrigerator. Hot dishes should be placed in a shallow pan on the top shelf in the refrigerator, and that should be done about half an hour after it’s been sitting out. Taylor adds metal pans are best with the lids off, because plastic holds to much heat. The goal is to have the food below 41 degrees within six hours. By lowering the temperature of the food within six hours you prevent bacteria from growing in your food.

When you decide to eat that extra food, be sure to heat it back up to 165 degrees whether that’s on the stove or in the microwave. He also reminds everyone to always wash your hands before preparing food.