The TikTok Hack That Simplifies Taking Home Holiday Leftovers
So let's say you just enjoyed a stuffing-filled Thanksgiving for the holiday history books or a Christmas feast that left everyone napping with visions of sugar plums in their head. As your holiday bash winds down, there is likely only one thought on you and your guests' minds as you recover from a well-earned food comma: the leftovers.
Although irresistibly delicious, the pumpkin pie that once brought you delight may now seem like more of a hassle to take home than to throw away. However, your party doesn't have to be part of the celebrators who up the amount of food wasted in the U.S. by 25% during the holiday season (per I Love a Clean San Diego).
One TikToker revealed in a video that there is a way for your guests to take their share of leftovers with them that doesn't involve working with less-than-study styrofoam plates. This stress-free tip is so cheap and easy that the video has been shared over 87,800 times. Here's the secret some commenters are calling the best trick ever for bringing home leftovers.
Break out the disposable cupcake tins
While disposable cupcake tins were created to help you make a one-and-done batch of baked goods like muffins, they've become a versatile kitchen tool. According to TikToker @brunchwithbabs, disposable muffin tins can not only help you bake up six single-serving dressings, but can help your guests take home the remains of the Thanksgiving feast.
"Did your mom tell you the easiest way to send guests home with Thanksgiving leftovers?" @brunchwithbabs aka "everyone's grandmother," asked in a recent video. According to the content creator, if you use disposable muffin tins for leftovers, your guests will be able to take their fill of apple pie and ham home in one vessel without having to worry about their food mixing. Plus, they'll even be able to heat up the remains of Thanksgiving dinner with the same tin they used to store the food.
And of course, while the TikToker uses Turkey Day as an example, the tip works just as well for Christmas dinner leftovers. Just remember to buy the aluminum cupcake tins with lids so your Christmas Eve party guests will be able to ensure that tomorrow's lunch won't meet a sad end on their car's floor. As an added bonus, the creator also has a clever way to set up a system for dividing up leftovers.
Set up a leftovers station
You already have a designated table for your main course and your dessert, but do you have a leftovers station? Well, according to @brunchwithbabs, you need one. You can keep things simple by putting your disposable muffin tins (which you can buy in a 10-pack for around $12 at grocers like Walmart) next to the food for your guests to easily access.
However, if you want to step up your host game, Nellie Bellie reports you can make your leftovers station a whole event. The outlet states that, after setting out your tins on a table of their own, you can line your leftovers station with candles and extra sweets as a thank you for your guests. You can even fill your leftovers table with printouts of tips on how to turn the leftover turkey meat into an all-new dish or guidelines on how long the holiday leftovers are good to feast on.
For the record, WCNC reports your holiday bounty is all good to eat for about four days. And now that you've got your holiday leftovers plan, you can look to @brunchwithbabs for another video about how to handle holiday trash.