Thanksgiving Foods You Can Take On Your Flight And What To Avoid, According To TSA

Fueled by dreams of endless home-cooked turkey and stuffing, Thanksgiving travel often involves bringing — or taking home — a dish you can't wait to share with family and friends. Nonetheless, if you're traveling for the holiday, there's usually one thing standing in the way of you and arriving at your destination with your food containers unscathed: navigating TSA's carry-on luggage rules.

That said, understanding what foods you can and can't bring past the security checkpoint can make the difference between success and disappointment for Thanksgiving. Plus, it can also ensure that your Turkey Day contribution actually makes it to the dinner table and isn't painfully left behind in the depths of a TSA trash bin.

Ultimately, when it comes to what Thanksgiving foods are on the good-to-fly list, it all boils down to what's covered in the 3-1-1 liquids rule: the requirement that liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes must be 3.4 ounces or less and fit in a single quart-sized bag. This basically means that anything spreadable or pourable is restricted, while things that don't necessarily flow should be okay to go through the TSA security checkpoint without setting off any alarms.

Despite the many frustrating TSA inconsistencies in regards to rules and regulations that vary from airport to airport — Is it shoes on or off? — one thing's for sure: Solid and dry foods are consistently allowed through security checkpoints. Specifically, this means that you can pack your turkey — whether it's cooked, raw, or frozen — along with other holiday sides like stuffing, casseroles, and even baked goods like pies and cakes. Additionally, fresh vegetables like green beans and yams are also cleared for takeoff, as are any herbs and spices that you might need to season your dishes.

Beyond packing, something else to consider when bringing along food items is temperature control. That's where proper organization comes in — especially if you're traveling long distances. For example, items like gel ice packs are actually allowed to be transported via carry-on — so long as they're fully frozen before inspection. Once they start to melt, however, they're technically considered liquids and must fall under the 3-1-1 guidelines.

The TSA follows a simple rule when it comes to other Thanksgiving goodies: "If you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it ... then it's not a solid and should be packed in a checked bag," per the official website. This means that traditional holiday favorites like cranberry sauce, gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, and wine must either follow the 3-1-1 liquids rule, stay behind, or get safely packed away in your checked luggage (which, truthfully, experts suggest you avoid checking a bag if you're traveling during the holidays). And when in doubt, the TSA's handy "What Can I Bring?" database will help clear all doubts.

In fact, even if you've carefully transferred all of your sauces and dips into their own travel-sized containers under 3.4 ounces, it's important to remember that they also all need to fit into a single quart-sized bag — something that can ultimately prove to be quite difficult if you're also planning to bring any toiletries, considering they too need to fit inside the same bag. Oh, and while you might be tempted to bring along that fancy electric carving knife you bought to help with dinner prep, all knives — whether electric or standard — must go in your checked baggage or risk being confiscated at security, likely never to be seen again.