There's no way around it: Thanksgiving is a busy day. Smart cooks start baking and cooking a day or two in advance—pie crust can certainly be baked the day before, and your turkey should be thawed well in advance of Thanksgiving morning. But for the ultra-efficient, dinner prep starts the weekend before the big day (that's this weekend!). From knocking out the cranberry sauce to starting on your stuffing, here's everything you can do this weekend to prepare for Thanksgiving…and everything that needs to wait. Let's break down a typical Thanksgiving menu.
Digital food editor Dawn Perry says there are definitely things you can do this weekend to get ready for the appetizer portion of the big day. Marinating olives? Get those babies cranking this weekend—they'll just get better as they sit. Nuts or seeds, like pepitas, can be candied and toasted this weekend, too. Simply store them in an air-tight container, and they'll be fresh when you're ready for them. There are a few things that you should wait on, however. Cheese balls (you know you want one) and dips should be done a day in advance or the morning-of. If you're going to toast your own bread for crostini, wait until early in the week. Serving crudité? Don't cut those cauliflower florets, carrots and celery sticks until Wednesday. You'll also need plenty of ice for Thanksgiving. If you have the freezer space, now's the time to pick up a few bags. If you don't, take a minute this weekend to place reminder sticky notes on your front door, steering wheel, bathroom mirror, etc.
If you've already picked up the green, leafy things you'll need for a Thanksgiving salad, you can definitely wash them this weekend. Run them under cool water, dry them well, then wrap them in damp paper towels and store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Perry doesn't recommend cutting or tearing the greens until the morning of, but that'll be a breeze if they're clean and ready to go. You can also make a vinaigrette this weekend. Store it in a lidded jar, and just shake it up when you're ready to use it. We don't have to remind you that salads shouldn't be dressed until moments before serving, right?
Arugula, parsnip, and apple salad
The great thing about stuffing is that it calls for dry, stale bread. Cube your bread this weekend, then let it sit, uncovered, on a sheet pan overnight to properly dry out. After that, just store it in zip-top bags. Herbs can be washed, patted dry, and stored in damp paper towels, like the greens you prepped for your salad, but don't get overexcited and chop them. They'll diminish in quality if cut too far in advance. Using bacon in your stuffing? Feel free to chop that and store it in the fridge. Beyond that, it's a bit of a waiting game. But doesn't it feel better knowing you've already accomplished so much?
Unfortunately, there's not much you can do in the way of prepping your mashed potatoes (or any other potato dish you plan on serving) in advance. Peeling and chopping them any earlier than right before you need them will cause them to oxidize and brown. Nobody likes brown mashed potatoes. You can, however, make them early Thanksgiving morning, before the mad rush, and keep them cozy in a crockpot on a "warm" setting.
Although sweet potatoes won't discolor the way Idaho, Russet, or Yukon Gold potatoes will, they have a tendency to dry out and shrivel when prepped too far in advance. Avoid unsightly, hard specimens and resist the urge to peel and cut them this weekend. Have a potato-peeling party with your morning coffee on Thanksgiving. (This is also a very excellent task to give to eager guests.)
Squash, like all other hardy vegetables you'll be dealing with (carrots, onions, and celery for your stuffing, for example), shouldn't be prepped until the day before Thanksgiving. Waiting until Thanksgiving morning to scrub, peel, and cut all of your veggies is just asking for unnecessary stress. Do all of your purchasing this weekend, then on Wednesday, find a quiet moment, turn on some good tunes, and become one with the chef's knife and cutting board.
You're spatchcocking your turkey this year, right? If that's the case, you can remove the backbone and take care of the messy work right now. Some butchers will spatchcock for you, but if you're doing the job yourself, this video will show you the ropes. Don't toss the turkey back once you've removed it. Use it to make stock, which you can use in your gravy—more on that below. Using a dry brine on your turkey means you don't have to apply the rub until the night before Thanksgiving, so no need to stress about applying it now—although you can mix it together and store it in a sealed container. If you have to thaw the bird, keep in mind that it can take as long as six days for a turkey over 20 pounds. This chart offers a helpful timeline for turkey weight and thawing time.
While you can't make your gravy until Thanksgiving (no gravy is complete without pan drippings!), you can—and should—make the stock in advance. This recipe for roasted poultry stock uses the neck and back of a turkey, and is supplemented by turkey or chicken wings. After the stock has cooled, store it in the freezer, as you won't need it until the big day. Transfer it to the fridge on Tuesday evening, so it has plenty of time to thaw. You get bonus points for cooking a big batch to use for leftover turkey ramen.
Here's where your preparedness will really let you shine: According to Perry, you can make your cranberry sauce, from start to finish, this weekend. There's no need to freeze it; it'll keep nicely in a well-sealed container in the fridge. We even have a recipe for a classic jellied cranberry sauce that looks like and keeps as well as the canned variety, only is infinitely tastier.
Whether you're making a pie or a galette this year, the crust is something you can knock off your prep list this weekend. In fact, it's preferable to make the dough now, when your kitchen isn't a thousand (give or take a few) degrees, thanks to the oven and stovetop. A crust is at its flakiest, butteriest best when kept cold before baking, so take the opportunity now to make your dough. If your pie requires par-baking—like this pumpkin pie—go ahead and do that this weekend, too. Let the crust cool completely, then wrap it up and keep the shell in the freezer. If your pie is baked all in one go—like this apple pie with spiced caramel sauce—just wrap the dough up tightly and simply roll, fill, and bake on Wednesday.