The Most Important Tip When Prepping Thanksgiving Sides In Advance

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, you may want to prepare some dishes in advance to save you time and energy on Thanksgiving. According to the expert that Daily Meal spoke to — Jessie-Sierra Ross, the cooking and home entertaining author of "Seasons Around the Table; Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes" — there are plenty of sides that can be made in advance. There's just one key detail to keep in mind. She says, "The important part is identifying the point in a recipe where it is best to stop and hold the preparation, to ensure best day-of results and simplify your final prep."

If you're making a salad — like a Thanksgiving favorite mixed green salad with apple pie vinaigrette — you can make the dressing ahead of time. Just make sure to stop there and hold off on building the salad — otherwise, the greens will become wilted from the dressing, and certain ingredients, such as sliced apples or pears, may start to brown.

Meanwhile, for other dishes, Ross's tip may mean making the whole dish but stopping right before baking it. Ross advises this with dishes like a simple sweet potato casserole, which can be kept in the freezer for up to two weeks or in the fridge for a few days. Ross says, "A few hours before dinner time, remove the baking dish from the chiller and let it come to room temperature."

One beloved side dish, stuffing, can also be made beforehand. Ross advises adding all the ingredients to a baking dish, but stop before adding any broth or stock, then store in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap). "You can do this up to two days ahead of time," she said. "A couple of hours before the guests arrive, I'll pull out the dish and let it come to room temperature. Then, I drizzle about ½ cup of bone broth on top and pop it into a hot oven. The savory flavors of the stuffing have had a chance to meld in the fridge, and the bone broth stops the stuffing from drying out while baking."

Some dishes, such as cranberry sauce, can be finished entirely in advance, which Ross encourages you to make from scratch rather than serving it out of a can. Store the cranberry sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. You can even make the mashed potatoes beforehand, then reheat them when it comes time for dinner. Cheddar scallion scones and cast-iron cornbread are two other great make-ahead options that will free up some time to spend with family during your holiday.