Buying and storing tips for your favourite festive foods

Love Food Hate Waste has identified some favourite festive season foods. Here are some useful tips to help you when you are buying and storing your food this festive season.

This information has been reviewed by NSW Food Authority, a proud partner of the Love Food Hate Waste program.

Look for brightly coloured, shiny shells with firm flesh. Be sure both the body and shells are firmly intact. Australian crayfish or lobsters are best purchased the day before consuming. Lobsters should be kept in the fridge and eaten as soon as possible after purchase.

Prawns are a summer favourite especially during the festive season. If you are buying whole prawns the heads should be firmly attached and the shell tight and shiny.

It is best to store prawns in the fridge away from other foods in an airtight container and leave them in their shell for as long as possible. Prawns should be eaten within 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Talk to your butcher about what size ham is best for your needs. Hams can be purchased without packaging or wrapped in heat sealed plastic. Always follow the storage instructions. A reduced-salt ham will be healthier, but may not last quite as long so, again, consider the size. Store your ham on a tray or plate in the fridge. Don't let any raw food such as other meats to touch the ham.

Keep your ham wrapped in a clean cotton pillow case or ham cloth that has been rinsed in a solution of two cups water and two tablespoons white vinegar. Replace the wrapping every three days. When serving, slice off the amount of ham you need and return the ham to the fridge. Ham needs to be eaten within two hours or returned to the fridge.

Leftover sliced ham can be kept in the fridge for up to two days if wrapped in plastic or foil. If your fridge is overflowing, slice all of the ham off the bone and enclose in cling wrap, then foil. It will keep in the freezer for a month or more, depending on the freezer temperature.

Processed cold ham, without further cooking, is not suitable for pregnant women, people with low-functioning immune systems or people older than 70 years.

Fresh turkey should be stored in the coldest part of your fridge. Turkeys can be large making their storage and cooking difficult. You might like to consider a purchasing a breast portion instead which will also help to minimise waste.

If you buy a frozen turkey, you must place it in the freezer as soon as possible, before thawing commences. If a significant amount of defrosting has occurred between buying the turkey and getting it home, the turkey should not be put back in the freezer. Instead, it needs to be fully defrosted then cooked thoroughly. The cooked meat can then be frozen.

Frozen turkeys must be thawed fully and safely before cooking. The size of your turkey will determine how long it will take to defrost. A large turkey can take up to three days to defrost in the fridge. In Australia’s warm climate, it is important that the turkey is thawed in the fridge and not at room temperature (i.e. not on your kitchen bench). Make sure that it is on a plate or tray so that no liquid can drip onto other foods.

The recommended maximum amount of time that a thawing or thawed turkey can be left at room temperature is 2 hours. Defrosting programs on microwaves can be used when the turkey is almost fully thawed. Follow the manufacturer's instructions as defrosting a turkey in a microwave can sometimes produce uneven results. The turkey needs to be cooked immediately after it is removed from the microwave.

Never stuff a turkey with warm stuffing – the stuffing must be cold to prevent any harmful bacteria from growing.

You will know that your turkey is cooked safely when the stuffing and thickest part of the meat reach 75 degrees Celsius. After carving the turkey, leftover meat and stuffing is best stored immediately in small containers in the fridge. The turkey and stuffing should be eaten within three days. If reheating the turkey, it needs to be steaming hot, at least 75 degrees Celsius, before it can be eaten safely.

Store-bought custard should be made with pasteurised ingredients. Follow the storage instructions.

If making your own custard be sure to heat until steaming hot, at least 60 degrees Celsius. Like all food from animals, eggs need special care to keep them safe.

Foods with lightly-cooked or raw eggs are not suitable for children younger than 2 years, pregnant women, people with low-functioning immune systems or people older than 70 years. Once cooked or opened, all custard should be eaten or returned to the fridge within 2 hours and kept no more than 3 days.

It's best to keep everything that has used fresh cream in the fridge until just before serving and make sure you return any leftovers to the fridge within 2 hours.

Christmas pudding can be refrigerated for three months or stored in the freezer for up to six months or more, depending on the freezer temperature. Drier recipes can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature, although humidity can cause mould.

Fruit mince pies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature and are also suitable for freezing. If you freeze them ensure they are thoroughly defrosted and can be delicious if warmed through gently in a low oven before serving.