As a Royal Catering client, it is a safe assumption that you will have some leftovers from your catered events.  A nice perk! Additionally, most people do not like to throw away extra food that they have prepared. Some simple steps to safely handling leftover items are helpful.

Leftovers need to be refrigerated at 40 degrees or frozen in small, shallow containers, 3 inches tall or less, and covered completely.

Generally speaking, meat items such as BBQ make the best leftovers while breaded and fried items do not reheat well.

There are three safe ways to defrost frozen leftovers: in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.

Before eating leftovers, reheat them thoroughly. Reheat leftover sauces, soups and gravies to boiling. If you're using the oven to reheat leftovers, set the temperature no lower than 325 F (163 C) to ensure they're reheated quickly. Because they may not get hot enough, slow cookers and chafing dishes aren't recommended for reheating leftovers.

Add a date label to leftover containers. According to the Department of Agriculture, you should eat refrigerated leftovers within four days to reduce the risk of food poisoning. When in doubt about how old a leftover item is, throw it out!

Our service staffers keep to go containers on their trucks so be sure to request one.