Thanksgiving. Yes, I summoned the thought! Despite the stress, all of the dishes of this day are something I look forward to all year long. The problem with Thanksgiving is this: it’s virtually impossible to bake off all of these dishes on the same day and not have your blood pressure go up. Before you wave a white flag of defeat, you can prep your way to having an easy holiday where the only thing you’re only prepping the day of is the turkey itself, do I have you interested? If you’re intrigued, here are some make-ahead Thanksgiving tips to keep your head on your shoulders.
No crazy last minute planning if you start at the beginning of the week with this strategy!
5 Days Before: Make The Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is one of those things that gets better after cooking which means this side dish is one of the first things you can make ahead of time. Once cooked, let the sauce cool completely before storing it in a plastic container. On the day of, you simply just have to dress it up in a pretty dish. This Blood Orange Cranberry Sauce is a refreshing retake with sophisticated flavors and this Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce is an easy hands-off success.
4 Days Before: Make The Gravy
Building up complex flavors into turkey or chicken stock will give you a similar taste you’d find in the turkey drippings that have been cooking for hours. Make the gravy ahead with these tips, and as you reheat the sauce, you can add some of the turkey drippings to loosen it up.
3 Days Before: Bake The Pies
Pies are easy, make-ahead desserts. Crazy enough, but you can make the pie crust up to one month in advance and keep the flattened plastic-wrapped disks in the freezer. But to pre-assemble a whole pie, prep the crust and filling, and bake according to the recipe. Carefully wrap the pie with some plastic wrap and tin foil — these wrappings will prevent odors from being absorbed into the pie and compromising the flavor. Cut the pie slices cold, let the pie come to room temperature, or reheat the slices individually in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds for the molten gooey quality.
2 Days Before: Prep The Stuffing
Many people are hesitant to make stuffing way too far out in advance, and it’s easy to see why. The moisture from the liquid gets prematurely absorbed into the bread, and sitting moist in the fridge (sounds gross right?) can compromise the texture of the baked stuffing. This doesn’t mean you can’t prepare some of the ingredients. Classic stuffing ingredients — carrots, onions, and celery — can be diced up and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you’re making your own bread cubes, you can cube and dry them out days before, the drier, the better. These simple ingredient prep hacks will cut down Thanksgiving day prep work, the only thing you’ll have to do is sauté the vegetables, heat stock, combine, and bake!
1 Day Before: Make The Mashed Potatoes
This is controversial, but yes — mashed potatoes can be made ahead of schedule, as early as two to three days in advance. Once you go about cooking your favorite recipe, cool the mixture down completely and store the mashed potatoes in plastic containers. On Thanksgiving day, you reheat the mashed spuds with a splash of heavy cream and an extra pat or two of butter. And if you’re saying no to extra cream and butter, you’re essentially saying no to the entirety of Thanksgiving, it’s not a healthy food holiday.