How to store your leftover Christmas ham (2024)

FAQs

How to store your leftover Christmas ham? ›

A moist tea towel or a Ham Bag can keep your leg ham fresh for longer if you store it in the refrigerator. Soak the towel or bag into a mixture of 1-litre water and two teaspoons white vinegar, then press off the excess water. A Christmas ham can last for a few weeks with the proper storing methods.

Christmas ham stored in the fridge, either on the bone or carved off and wrapped in plastic and foil, will keep perfectly well for up to two weeks. Ham wrapped in plastic and foil and then frozen will last in the freezer for up to a month.

To store your ham properly, it's best to use vacuum-sealed bags or airtight containers to prevent moisture loss and bacteria growth. Also, remember to take a look at your refrigerator's temperature range! Ideally, it should be between 34°F and 40°F or 1°C-4°C.

Information. Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or less and your freezer at or near 0 °F. See also Ham and Food Safety.

It's best to wrap your ham loosely to allow for air circulation, and place it in the coolest part of the fridge. Cooked and ready to eat whole ham will last for up to three months, if the packaging is intact, otherwise between one to two weeks. Always use the used by date to guide you.

Cooked ham can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. Make sure to store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This will help to prevent the ham from drying out.

Soak a Ham Bag, pillowcase or tea towel in 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Wring out excess water and place ham in the Ham Bag, pillowcase or wrap in tea towel. Store in coolest part of fridge. Re-soak bag in solution every few days or when Ham Bag dries out.

Mix together 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and wet the bag, make sure it is completely soaked through. Wring it out slightly so it's not dripping and place ham inside or wrap completely in the tea towel. Store in coolest part of fridge (usually at the bottom).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the “2-Hour Rule” for any perishables left out at room temperature. If the food is left out in temperatures of 90°F or higher, then only one hour.

If you want to freeze your Christmas ham (we don't need to tell you how much space they take up in the fridge), cut thick slices and wrap them in plastic, and then in foil. You can keep your ham slices frozen for up to a month.

Is a 2 year old frozen ham still good? ›

Freezer storage time is for quality only. Frozen hams remain safe indefinitely. For more information, see Ham and Food Safety.

Whole cured hams last in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, fresh ham only lasts a few days in the refrigerator, about three or four once you've cooked it. It doesn't matter if the ham is whole or sliced; the lack of preservatives allows it to spoil more quickly.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ham is good for three to five days in the refrigerator after it is cooked. If you need more time to use up those leftovers, ham will last up to two months in the freezer. The USDA also recommends wrapping up leftovers well.

How long does Christmas ham last? The ham will last for two weeks easily in the fridge if wrapped well. The best way to wrap it is in a cloth bag to keep the moisture locked in without the ham going off.

A technique that worked even better for long term storage was brining. This process involved soaking the meat in a salt water mixture and was good for larger cuts, like hams. Meat could be stored in the brine and packed tightly in covered jars or casks in a cool environment for months.

If you purchased a cured or smoked ham and you cooked it for your Christmas dinner, you can keep the leftovers for four days in the fridge. If you can freeze them in a sealed container or freezer bag, they will keep for three months.

Reheat – Take the ham out of the fridge 2 hours prior. Cover loosely with baking/parchment paper then loosely with foil. Reheat in a 130°C oven for 2 hours or until the centre of the ham registers 60°C/140°F (or a skewer inserted into the middle is hot).

Those popular spiral-cut hams or any store-wrapped cooked ham will last three to four days in the fridge. Cooked country hams will last a bit longer, up to a week. Do: Wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil before refrigerating. If you choose to freeze, it will be good for one to two months.