Can I make Thanksgiving sides this weekend and refrigerate them? Or will that be a disaster?

[Anonymous]

Specifically I am thinking about mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and make-ahead gravy. I don’t have room in the freezer to store them, but do in the fridge. How far ahead can I make them? This weekend or do I need to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday?

[Anonymous]

I made gravy yesterday but I froze it. I will make pecan pie and cranberry sauce on Wednesday. I have made a gb casserole from an ATK recipe that is designed to be made ahead.
There are several ways to make thing ahead and freeze them, but I’m wouldn’t keep something in the fridge from Saturday to Thursday and expect it to be ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I made gravy yesterday but I froze it. I will make pecan pie and cranberry sauce on Wednesday. I have made a gb casserole from an ATK recipe that is designed to be made ahead.
There are several ways to make thing ahead and freeze them, but I’m wouldn’t keep something in the fridge from Saturday to Thursday and expect it to be ok.

I agree with this. I think you can make and freeze, even something like mac and cheese, but I don't think you can make and hold it in the refrigerator for 6 days and expect it to 1) hold up, and 2) not make people sick.

[Anonymous]

I am making cranberry relish on Sunday, it will be fine for a few days in the fridge.

[Anonymous]

Cranberry sauce is fine. I’m making mine today. The rest is not. Mashed potatoes in particular really need to be made day of.

[Anonymous]

I made a Pioneer Woman recipe for mashed potatoes last year that can stay in the fridge for 2 days. Then you heat up in the oven. They were good!

I always make cranberry sauce a day or two ahead, and a quick Google just told me it can last for a week or more because of the sugar acting as a preservative.

[Anonymous]

Cranberry sauce and gravy are fine. Not the rest. It’s too far ahead to make them and just refrigerate them.

That said, you can do a ton of prep to make the actual cooking easier. Peel and cube the potatoes. Dry out the bread for stuffing and chop up the add-ins (onions, celery - I’d save fresh herbs for the last minutes).

I think most things can be made the day before, but stuffing IMO is a day of thing.

[Anonymous]

4 days in the fridge is the limit for most cooked items... And then after you reheat them you can't save the leftovers, they need to be tossed.
I agree with PPs that the cranberry sauce should be fine for longer.
You can also prep dry ingredients (chop nuts, measure spices into a small container) chop and freeze some ingredients (onions and celery.)

[Anonymous]

Op here. Fantastic advice. Thanks to all!

[Anonymous]

I am making my stuffing today and will freeze it. Same goes for gravy.

[Anonymous]

No one wants leftovers for Thanksgiving.

There is a ton of stuff you can do to prep this weekend. Please, please do not give people food that you cooked on the weekend as leftovers on Thursday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cranberry sauce and gravy are fine. Not the rest. It’s too far ahead to make them and just refrigerate them.

That said, you can do a ton of prep to make the actual cooking easier. Peel and cube the potatoes. Dry out the bread for stuffing and chop up the add-ins (onions, celery - I’d save fresh herbs for the last minutes).

I think most things can be made the day before, but stuffing IMO is a day of thing.

Wont the potatoes turn brown? I would love to pero and cube the day before but I thought that was a no go. I will be so happy if that’s ok to do!

[Anonymous]

I’m going to measure/mix/label all the ingredients for sides pies tomorrow. Then I will bake pies weds and quickly make sides the day of.

[Anonymous]

I do my sweet potato casserole today but put the topping on Th and bake.

[Anonymous]

Yes, cut and peeled potatoes sitting in water overnight get funky.