The existential angst of Thanksgiving leftovers is that you always have too much turkey and not enough gravy. Sure, you can always whip up some more, but that’s more work than anyone feels like doing. In case you need another excuse to make extra when you’re prepping for the big day, here it is: The best way to keep your sliced turkey moist and flavorful through refrigeration, freezing, and reheating is to store the turkey in some gravy.
By storing the meat in the gravy, you are limiting the meat’s exposure to air, which would dry it out. Place your sliced turkey in a vacuum sealer bag or a Ziploc, then add your gravy. There isn’t really such a thing as “too much,” but a one to one ratio is ideal. Either vacuum the bag or try to remove as much air as possible by sucking out the air, using the water displacement method, or just laying the bag flat on the table and carefully pressing as much air out as possible. From this point, it can be stored in the freezer or refrigerator.
To reheat it, allow the frozen meat to defrost. Refrigerated meat won’t need any prep. Now you can either microwave or sous vide the meat. To microwave it, you can leave it in the bag; either cut a corner of open or open the bag an inch or two, then microwave for sixty seconds. Check the temperature, then continue to microwave in thirty-second increments until warmed through. To sous vide, drop the bags into a 140°F water bath for twenty minutes, or until warmed through.
Storing in bags means you can save space in your fridge and freezer by storing them flat. Plus, you can easily parse out bags of leftover turkey and gravy for guests to take home.
Of course, you can help prevent even more moisture loss the day of Thanksgiving as you’re cutting the turkey: Always carve only what you need, and carve the leftovers off the carcass in large pieces of meat, rather than slices. Store the turkey as above, then reheat it and slice it.