Give Yourself A Break This Thanksgiving: Make These 2 Foods Days In Advance

It's no secret that a lot of work goes into Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey alone is already a big undertaking, and that's to say nothing of the myriad of side dishes we enjoy with it. The sheer amount of prep work and cooking is enough to have us plucking gray hairs, so anything we can do to make the big day easier is most always a welcome idea, like preparing sides in advance and freezing them.

Mashed potatoes and gravy are easy to make, freeze, and reheat on the big day. You would think that it would be a big Thanksgiving dinner mistake, but it is possible to make frozen potatoes taste like fresh with the addition of a bit of cream or milk when reheating. For best results, let them cool to room temperature once they're done cooking and then freeze in a large freezer bag (double-bagging or wrapping is a great way to avoid the food picking up freezer odors). They'll last up to a month in the freezer and a day or two in the fridge, and you can reheat them in the oven or microwave.

As for the gravy, let it cool and freeze it in an airtight container. It lasts about four to six months in the freezer and three or four days in the fridge. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then slowly heat to a boil on medium heat, whisking the entire time to keep it from separating. To help it really taste fresh, add some of the juice from the Thanksgiving turkey and season it with herbs like sage or thyme.

Before you start making your potatoes and gravy, we have a couple more tips to make your Thanksgiving day a little easier. First off, if you plan to make a cream-based gravy, like white gravy, you may not want to freeze it. Cream gravies will separate once they start to thaw, so it's best to make them either on the day or only a day or two in advance so you can keep them in the fridge instead of the freezer. Stick to flour-based gravy if you want to make it far in advance.

The potatoes you use matter as well. Certain potatoes freeze better than others, and the starch content is key. Waxy spuds like red potatoes or Yukon Golds typically freeze much better than starch-heavy ones like russets. Starchy potatoes have a lower moisture content than waxy ones, so they can come out of the freezer dry and crumbly. Thanksgiving sides are getting expensive, so the last thing you want to do is waste money by making dry, unpleasant potatoes. If you're determined to use russet spuds for your Thanksgiving dinner, make them close enough to the big day that you can refrigerate them, or plan to add fat and liquid in the form of cream or milk to revitalize them.

That's likely not the only thing you plan to add to your Thanksgiving spuds, but if you're planning on adding ingredients like roasted garlic or herbs to the mashed potatoes, do it after they're reheated, not before freezing. That way, they'll be as fresh as possible.