The Muffin Tin Hack For Perfectly Portioned Thanksgiving Leftovers

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Of all the mistakes to avoid when hosting Thanksgiving dinner, failing to consider the inevitable distribution of leftovers is one that is pretty easy to fix. The Thanksgiving feast is a meal that's generally full of excess, both in the richness and quantity of food being served — just think of all those unhealthy Turkey Day side dishes that you might wish too avoid, but will be going back to for seconds! When you have guests visiting your table, it's a lot quicker and easier to send them home with leftovers than you ever imagined. The secret is in a multipack of disposable foil muffin tins, which is about to change the way you dole out (and consume!) leftovers.

As seen on social media , simply use the six cups of the muffin tin as vessels for an individual serving apiece of what's leftover: imagine turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and a dinner roll all in their own tidy compartments. Cover the pan with foil, and you have the equivalent of a personal Thanksgiving TV dinner, all portioned out for a killer leftovers sandwich with turkey and the fixings, just add bread. 

The best part? The foil tray can be popped right in the oven for clean, effortless reheating at home. When you're done, you can simply toss the tray. No fussing with Tupperware that will need to be washed and returned to the rightful owner, no mishmashed plates with food touching, which can be an issue for some eaters ... just neat, contained #leftovergoals.

What's that, you say? Your Thanksgiving dinner is a potluck and you have way more than six food items to divvy up? No problemo ... you can either purchase 12-count muffin tins with double the amount of cups for food, or you can give every person two of the 6-count trays, dividing cold items up seperately from hot to ensure that everything is just right when they go to reheat the goodies. 

Have a Sharpie on hand to label the foil covering with the recipient's name, the date that the food was boxed up, and, for bonus points, what foods are under the lid. This way, you can make sure that your guests aren't boggled when they wake up from their turkey comas and face the fridge after a vigorous round of appetite-stimulating Black Friday shopping.

This muffin tin leftover hack also works for you, as the host, if you take the time to divide your own stock of remaining food into serving-sized containers. Who wants multiple plastic containers and Ziploc bags hogging valuable real estate in the fridge? A little extra effort to portion out the food on Thanksgiving night will ensure that leftovers are attractive and easy to eat, making them more likely to be consumed quickly and not wasted. In a nutshell, disposable muffin tins are about to become the VIP of your post-holiday cleanup, a new tradition to treasure.