If you plan to bring Thanksgiving foods with you on the plane – or take leftovers home – the Transportation Security Administration is prepared with food prep instructions. 

Hint: yes, you can bring a frozen turkey in your carry-on luggage. 

The week of Thanksgiving is one of the busiest air travel times of the year, with the TSA saying it expects to handle more than 17.8 million passenger screenings at airport terminal check-in sites between Nov. 25 and Dec. 2. 

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the peak of that travel bump 

Keeping in mind what menu items are popular among today's Thanskgiving menus, the TSA has explained which of those foods can travel and how to pack them. 

Carry-on bags 

The following traditional Thanksgiving food items are allowed in carry-on bags: 

• Baked goods such as pies, cakes, cookies and brownies. 
• Solid meats such as turkey, chicken, ham or steak, whether frozen, cooked or uncooked.  
• Cooked mac and cheese in a pan 
• Fresh fruits and vegetables such as apples, cranberries and potatoes. 
• Candy and spices. 

Ice packs are permitted to help keep foods stay cold during travel, but ice packs must be frozen solid when going through security screening. 

TSA also recommends placing food items in an easily accessible part of carry-on bags and removing them for separate screening to avoid delays. 

Checked bags 

There are some traditional Thanksgiving food items that, given their consistency and form, must be packed into checked bags or risk being confiscated at security. They include: 

• Cranberry sauce, whether homemade or canned. 
• Gravy. 
• Jams, jellies and preserves. 
• Maple syrup. 
• Wine, champagne or sparkling cider. 

Travelers who have questions about a specific item they wish to bring can use the MyTSA app's "What Can I Bring?" tool, text "Travel" to AskTSA (275872), or message @AskTSA on X or Facebook Messenger.