Anonymous



What can I make ahead? I am trying to recreate my mother's stuffing, and it just took me an hour to cut up vegetables and bread. Can I do this ahead of time (like now) and freeze it? Will the bread get mushy and lose its flavor? What about the celery and onions? Also, I plan to roast broccoli (we love Barefoot Contessa's recipe) as it's a delicious side dish. But it won't fit in the oven with the turkey, and once it gets cool, it gets mushy. Any ideas? Thanks!

Whats the recipe? Bread can be done the night before and placed in a zip lock bag...a lot of bread used for stuffing is rock hard. The veggies...depends on what you are chopping. You can really cut down prep time with something like this...
http://www.amazon.com/Swissmar-Borner-V-1001-V-Slicer-Mandoline/dp/B0000632QE/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1413838641&sr=8-16&keywords=Veggie+slicer

It really speed things up.

I'm pp, forgot to post a link to the recipe.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/make-ahead-mashed-potatoes-2/detail.aspx

Last year I made some great make ahead mashed potatoes.

You can cut the bread in advance and freeze the chunks. I wouldn't freeze the raw veggies--they are likely to have all the water leach out of them and go rubbery. I've never frozen cooked stuffing--plus don't you need the stuff from inside the bird to make it?

Agree on setting up the schedule in advance. You can chop veggies the day before (or even two days before) and keep them in the fridge (but not potatoes--they will go brown if you chop them in advance, and if you put potatoes in the refrigerator sometimes the starches get converted to sugars and the potatoes get sweet).

These are great suggestions. Thank you all! I have a feeling I'll be eating lots of stuffing and mashed potatoes over the next few weeks as I do trial runs. Thanks!

I do all of the vegetable prep the day before - peeling, slicing, chopping. Celery and onions are fine for a day or two, but I'm not sure about freezing, I think the texture would change.

I'd think freezing the bread would work well, but it's worth a test like the PP suggested.

Mashed potatoes can definitely be done ahead of time. They freeze well, or make the day before. Re-warm in a crockpot or over low heat, stir frequently to keep the bottom from burning (or use a double boiler). You can also reheat in the oven, but that space is usually spoken for.

Once the turkey comes out of the oven, it needs a little time to rest and carve. We use that time to heat things like sweet potato casserole and bread rolls in the oven, broccoli could be roasted then too. Also finish the gravy with turkey drippings during rest/carve phase.

Most importantly, set the table early in the day. That used to be our biggest last-minute scramble!

If you're practicing, I would try making the whole stuffing now in a casserole dish and then baking while frozen. If that works, you are golden. Typically you want the bread very dry to combine with the mushy moist ingredients, but after that, it's all combined together anyway. And as a "casserole" it could be very forgiving. And much easier than trying to dry out frozen bread.

13:09's links are great. The most successful Thanksgiving dinner I cooked I made a detailed time schedule for the day-of, figuring out how long each dish took, when it needed to be in the oven, and what I could prep ahead.

If you're making gravy, budget a good 30 minutes after the turkey comes out. The turkey will be resting and will stay warm, but gravy always takes a long time to thicken for me vs. what the recipe says.

My mom always prepped stuffing the day before-tearing the bread, dicing vegetables, and then would put it in the fridge. Next day she would add spices and water and cook.

If you're running low on fridge space and you have outdoor space, put things outside either in a cooler or if it's cold enough and you don't need to worry about animals, just covered and outside. If you have to keep things in there overnight, definitely do a cooler and put something very heavy on top-I've seen a raccoon open one before!

OP, I don't know the answer to your bread ahead question, but since bread actually freezes, I think you'd be ok. If you are letting it dry out first according to your recipe, you would do better to dry it out first. My mom, who still cooks Thanksgiving dinner at 82, does her celery and onion the day before.

You have time to test your frozen bread theory before Thanksgiving. Do the bread now, freeze it and make the stuffing next week as a test.

You can do the potatoes earlier in the day and keep them warm, which we have found makes them extra creamy.

Thanksgiving Cooking Schedules

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/features/8130-thanksgiving-cooking-timeline

http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/articles/thanksgiving-planning-guide.html

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/how-to/thanksgiving-countdown-schedule-calendar.html

Make-ahead schedule
http://www.thekitchn.com/a-makeahead-thanksgiving-dinner-menu-the-schedule-gatherings-from-the-kitchn-196827

Anonymous wrote:What is your cooking time frame? I begin at 7 am and do the pies first.

I have no idea! This is my first real Thanksgiving with the in-laws coming. I know I can make desserts ahead of time and freeze, or make the day before, but don't know how else to do everything. Mashed potatoes can't be done ahead of time (I don't think..?), I'm trying stuffing in the crockpot, someone just solved my broccoli dilemma. I don't know what I don't know. Do either of you PPs know the answer to my bread-ahead-of-time question? Or any more advice for a newbie?

Anonymous wrote:Broccoli roasts prety quickly--you can probably prep it while the turkey is cooking, then pop it in the oven after you take the turkey out and let it rest before carving. .

Good point! Thanks!

What is your cooking time frame? I begin at 7 am and do the pies first.

Broccoli roasts prety quickly--you can probably prep it while the turkey is cooking, then pop it in the oven after you take the turkey out and let it rest before carving. .

What can I make ahead? I am trying to recreate my mother's stuffing, and it just took me an hour to cut up vegetables and bread. Can I do this ahead of time (like now) and freeze it? Will the bread get mushy and lose its flavor? What about the celery and onions? Also, I plan to roast broccoli (we love Barefoot Contessa's recipe) as it's a delicious side dish. But it won't fit in the oven with the turkey, and once it gets cool, it gets mushy. Any ideas? Thanks!