Welcome to The Cheater’s Guide to Thanksgiving. While there are plenty of tips out there for folks making scratch desserts and artisan loaves, the Cheater’s Guide focuses on the person who could use a helping hand—even from some unconventional sources. Some might call it “cheating” (like that’s a bad thing), but there’s nothing wrong with using modern technology and supermarket know-how to help you make a bangin’ traditional feast—with much less of the traditional work.
I love to jazz up a pre-cooked turkey, re-toast puff pastry desserts, or freeze roux for gravy in advance. Whether you call it cheating or just being smart, this is how you get big dinner events accomplished without losing your cool. That’s because no matter how many things you prepare ahead of time, some dishes must be made from scratch, and some scratch-made things must be made the day of. Consider these items when planning your menu, and find ways to bake, freeze, or prep everything else in the days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. (Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with those things too.)
Pies and tarts
Flaky pastry pies, like fruit pies and custard pies, top my list of scratch-made items because the flavor and texture of the crust declines after baking day. The melted fats leave the crust in its crispiest, flakiest state; in the days following, the crust inevitably softens and wilts. Any pie you’re buying pre-cooked will essentially be in a leftover state. I’m not saying it’s inedible, it’s just not as good.
You could buy frozen raw pies from the supermarket and bake them off on Thanksgiving, but if you’re going for presentation points, the foil tin gets in the way. (It’s also really hard to fake a scratch-made pie with one of those, too.)
If you will never ever bake a pie from scratch unless hell freezes over, I suggest skipping the supermarket and soliciting a local bakery. A pie made by a human will always be better than one made by a machine, and the higher price will be worth it. But if you’re planning on making it from scratch yourself, you’re going to have to bake that pie Thanksgiving morning. Luckily, not all prep is lost…
What you can do ahead of time
Make the crust in advance. Pie crusts freeze beautifully for up to months in advance. You can wrap and freeze the dough in chunky disks, ready to be thawed and rolled out when you need it. I recommend rolling out the dough, fitting it into the pie dish you’ll be using, and then freezing it. Once it’s solid, pop it out of the pie dish and wrap it tightly in plastic. You’ve basically made ready-to-go pie shells. Simply put it in the dish when baking day arrives and fill or blind-bake it as needed.
Make the filling ahead of time. Depending on what type of pie you’re making, you can prepare the filling and keep it in the fridge or freezer until baking day. Cook apple pie filling or other fruit pie fillings on the stove. Then put it in a container after cooling to keep refrigerated for up to three days beforehand, or frozen for up to a month. You can keep custard-pie fillings in the fridge for up to three days beforehand, too.
Freeze the whole pie. You absolutely can freeze an entire uncooked apple pie. You just have to make sure your two components (the crust and filling) are completely cool before assembly, so the pastry doesn’t melt. Then you can bake it straight from the freezer the day of. Freezing uncooked custard pies, like pumpkin or coconut, can be a little more fiddly, so I’d recommend using a recipe that includes specific thawing and baking instructions.
The only thing I don’t love about freezing whole pies at home is that you need a lot of available freezer space. The pies you’re freezing need to sit flat for at least eight hours, and maybe longer, before they’re frozen solid. Then you can stack stuff on top of and around them. If you have a chest freezer, this might be a good tactic for you.
Casseroles and mac & cheese
I would argue that the crisped edges are the biggest boon of scratch-made, home-baked casseroles. They’re casual, comforting, and rich, which makes them ideal for Thanksgiving. Sure, you could buy casseroles from a supermarket like Whole Foods, but they’ll inevitably be served in an aluminum tin which is often not as deep as a ceramic or glass casserole dish and it may not give you those indispensable crunchy edges. Plus, it’ll cost you a good deal more than making it from scratch.
I consider mac and cheese in a separate category from casseroles, and you might be tempted to buy that from a store as well. If you must, watch out for pre-cooked mac and cheese that you might see in the prepared food aisles. If the cheese has been melted once and it’s then stored in the fridge to be reheated again, it can result in a greasy casserole. You know how melted butter re-solidifies in a weird way? The emulsion breaks during melting and the butter becomes gritty. Similarly, melted cheeses can separate into oil globules and protein clusters, and lose their creaminess. If you must buy, look for prepared casseroles where you can see the cheese shreds, which signals that they have not already melted once before.
What you can do ahead of time
Instead of pre-baking the casserole, just pre-assemble it. The roux (which you can freeze ahead of time), cheeses, starches, cooked meats and vegetables can all be mixed together and spread out into a buttered casserole dish two or three days ahead of time. Tightly cover the casserole dish for storage in the fridge. When it’s time to bake it, you can easily pop it in the oven. The cheese will melt for the first time and reward you with the best possible texture.
Roasted vegetables
Roasted vegetables are best when served fresh out of the oven or air fryer. The charred edges are crisp and the thicker parts of the veg are still full of moisture. The texture is firm but fork-tender. Once they’ve been in the fridge overnight they wilt and soften. That’s fine for casual snacking the next day, but if you’re preparing reheated roasted veggies for a dinner like Thanksgiving, “fine” isn’t good enough.
What you can do ahead of time
Though roasted vegetables don’t get mixed with other ingredients or coated with much, there’s still plenty you can do ahead of time. Carrots can be peeled, onions trimmed, mushrooms can be dusted off, and squash can be deseeded. Here’s a list of more veggies you can prepare before Thanksgiving. Plus, here’s all the greatest veggie sides you should make in the air fryer.
Additionally, you can consider how you plan on treating them after the roast. Are you going to toss them with a dressing? Make that in a small jar and have it ready to go when needed.
Salads
Green salads are well known to be better the day they’re made. (Mayonnaise-based salads, like potato salad or macaroni salad, can be made days ahead.) They have freshly cut components and dry out or get slimy and weird if prepared too early.
That said, supermarkets have a wealth of salad kits these days. Despite myself, I have come to enjoy a few of these from Trader Joe’s. These kits usually make use of cruciferous veggies, like kale and cabbage—which can still get weird!—but because they can stand up to being cut earlier, they afford you some flexibility. While you can boost your salad with one of these pre-made kits, I still suggest embellishing a dinner salad with some freshly made statement pieces to reduce that grocery aisle feel and flavor.
What you can do (somewhat) ahead of time
Boil eggs in advance and cut them into segments (at least one half egg per person) before serving; toss in air-fried baby potatoes; or cut steamed beet wedges to dot around the bowl. Make the dressing in advance and keep it in a jar in the fridge. A few shakes will combine it easily and you can pour it over the salad. Just before serving, stud the salad bowl with large portions of creamy buffalo mozzarella or goat cheese. Depending on the type of salad you’re making, toss in larger cuts of leafy greens and fresh herbs to add bulk, interest, and fresh flavors.
