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TSA breaks down how to pack your Thanksgiving dishes

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you're looking to bring your famous mashed potatoes, or if it's your turn to provide cocktail ingredients, flying for Thanksgiving could require some extra prep. The TSA said most foods can be carried through a checkpoint, but there are certain items and ingredients that should end up in checked baggage.

Officials said if it's a solid item, then it's usually safe to assume it can make it through a checkpoint. Any foods should go in a clear plastic bag or other container, and then passengers should put them in a separate bin while going through the checkpoint.

Carry-on foods
Credit: TSA

CARRY-ON WITH IT

  • Baked goods: Homemade or store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, brownies and other sweet treats
  • Meats: Turkey, chicken, ham, steak. Frozen, cooked or uncooked
  • Stuffing: Cooked, uncooked, in a box or in a bag
  • Casseroles: Traditional green beans and onion straws or something more exotic
  • Mac 'n Cheese: Cooked in a pan or traveling with the ingredients to cook it at your destination,
  • Fresh vegetables: Potatoes, yams, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, radishes, carrots, squash, greens
  • Fresh fruit: Apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas.
  • Candy
  • Spices
Checked bag foods

CHECK YOURSELF (AND THESE ITEMS)

  • Cranberry sauce: Homemade or canned are spreadable, so check them.
  • Gravy: Homemade or in a jar/can.
  • Wine, champagne, sparkling apple cider.
  • Canned fruit or vegetables: It's got liquid in the can, so check them.
  • Preserves, jams and jellies: They are spreadable, so best to check them.
  • Maple syrup
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