The only thing sweeter than the Thanksgiving Day meal is the leftovers you get to take home. If you’re traveling, however, you need to be careful.
Before grabbing Tupperware, Thanksgiving travelers should know that there are certain foods with which you can and can’t travel. Liquid-based items like wine, gravy and cranberry sauce are only permissible in checked luggage. Canned fruits and vegetables with liquid in the can and mashed potatoes also have to be checked. For solid potatoes, however, and other solid foods like cheese, chocolate, and cooked meat, it’s okay to travel with them.
Surprisingly, you can carve your baked or fried turkey and stuff it in your bag as well as bread, flour, sugar, nuts, and candy. Baked goods are suitable for travel regardless of the packaging. TSA is keen on taking a closer look at sweets since some ingredients can look like explosive residue. Stuffing and casseroles fit in this category as well. An easy way to get past sticky TSA rules is to freeze your food. Frozen foods can go in your carry-on, as long as you make sure that they aren’t quick to melt.
Probably weirder than that is the fact that cast iron skillets are allowed to be checked in your luggage. For those vain enough to bring their own cookware to the family dinner, make sure they meet the size and weight requirements of your airline.
If this still doesn’t satisfy your Thanksgiving food travel inquiries, TSA has the ‘What can I bring’ tool, which is available online and via the app.
