Traveling with Thanksgiving Food: TSA Rules and Chef's Recommendations

Holidays, particularly Thanksgiving Day, are a popular time for Americans to travel.

Whether by car, bus, cruise ship, or plane, families and individuals embark on trips across the country.

With school holidays and work winding down, it becomes the busiest holiday travel weekend of the year.

While packing for your Thanksgiving trip, don't forget to consider taking food along with you.

The TSA has specific rules on what foods and drinks you can bring through security checkpoints.

But what about traditional Thanksgiving dinner items like mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, and dessert?

To shed light on this, Fox News approached chef and owner Dante Boccuzzi for his take on travel-friendly foods.

According to Boccuzzi, leftover turkey sandwiches with ample mayonnaise are always a good option.

For this, refrigerate the turkey and mayo combo until you board your flight.

Boccuzzi also suggests that apple pie, if vacuum-packed, would travel well.

The TSA emphasizes that regardless of the food you choose to carry, it must follow a simple rule.

Any spillable, spreadable, sprayable, pumpable, or pourable item larger than 3.4 ounces should be packed in checked bags.

However, cakes, cookies, pies, meats, casseroles, and other solids can be carried in unlimited quantities in your hand luggage.

The TSA also has guidelines for liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes.

Each airline passenger is allowed a quart-sized bag of liquids in containers of 3.4 ounces or less.

Beverages, spreads, and cooking sprays fall under this category.

Furthermore, fluids exceeding 3.4 ounces, such as jam, sauce, gravy, and beverages, should be packed in checked bags.

Almost every solid food item is permissible in carry-on or checked luggage, including cooked or uncooked meals.

If refrigeration or freezing is required, ice packs are allowed.

However, the ice packs should be completely frozen when going through TSA checkpoints.

Gabriele Regalbuto, an SEO editor at Fox News Digital, recommends using clear plastic bags and containers for easy inspection.

This ensures a smoother process when passing through security checkpoints.

Remember, flammable items and cake sparklers are not allowed in either carry-on or checked baggage.

With these guidelines in mind, you can plan your Thanksgiving trip without worrying about your favorite dishes.

Travel with confidence, and enjoy the festivities with your loved ones!