Apple turnovers fare poorly against oxygen and moisture during storage, so make it your goal -- or, if you really love turnovers, your life's mission -- to keep the pastries separated from air and humidity for maximum shelf life and freshness.
Cooked Apple Turnovers
Pantry
Turnovers stay fresh up to 24 hours at room temperature. You may be able to get an extra 12 hours out of room-temperature storage if you live in a dry region or have relatively low humidity.
Wrap the turnovers in two layers of plastic wrap, perpendicular to each other, or keep them in an airtight container and away from direct sunlight.
Refrigerator
Keep apple turnovers up to five days in the refrigerator. The refrigerator extends the shelf life of turnovers, but, because of the fat in their crust, they tend to absorb aromas. Keep turnovers in an airtight container in the fridge and, if possible, keep them in the back and on the bottom shelf where it's coldest.
Freezer
The freezer gives apple turnovers about six months of freshness. You can safely keep turnovers in the freezer indefinitely -- though at least one commercial baker lists a maximum of one year for optimum storage. But they start losing quality -- due to ice crystal formation and dehydration -- after six months.
Wrap turnovers in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store them in heavy-duty freezer bags or freezer-safe food containers before freezing.
Uncooked Apple Turnovers
Refrigerator
You can store formed, uncooked apple turnovers in the refrigerator, but keep it to a minimum -- 24 hours or less for best results.
Freezer
Uncooked apple turnovers freeze well and maintain freshness for up to one month.
Freezing also helps prevent the turnovers from developing a soggy bottom during baking because the bottoms start baking before the apple filling heats up.
To freeze uncooked apple turnovers, arrange them 1/2 inch apart on a sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the freezer and chill the turnovers until frozen through, at least 1 hour. Next, wrap each turnover in foil or plastic wrap and pack them in heavy-duty freezer bags. Store for up to one month.
Do not thaw the turnovers before baking them.