If you are preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year, you will probably have a lot of leftovers. The US Department of Agriculture says there is a time limit on how long you can safely store leftover food.

Make sure to refrigerate dense foods like sliced turkey, cooked sweet potatoes or gravy in shallow containers to help them cool down fast. Schaffner’s recent research showed that foods cooled in containers at a depth of no more than 2 inches posed little risk of growing dangerous germs.

Many of us will spend hours preparing a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. One thing you don’t want to bring to the holiday table is food poisoning. Consumer Reports reveals the one thing many of us get wrong that could make our guests seriously sick.