6 Essential Tips For Making Food Ahead of Time

Updated on March 31, 2018 at 1:10 PM

Courtesy Noah Fecks

There are few things that save time and energy more than making your food ahead. But so often it can end up meaning bland dishes, overheated messes, and recipes that just didn't hold up well. In my new book Bring It!: Tried and True Recipes for Potlucks and Casual Entertaining, I had to make every recipe foolproof for making ahead and taking it on the go. Once you start making food ahead you can't go back — you'll be storing extra dinners and snacks for later every time you cook. So read ahead for the essentials I learned along the way to ensure you can get in the habit of saving time and making food ahead.

Preparation Is Key

Don't start making any recipe without reading all the steps first and thinking through how to store it. If you are making a dish that needs to cook, make sure to decide whether you will cook it halfway now or whether you will just prep it and then cook it later. Don't get to the end of the recipe without having thought through whether it needs to be reheated. Make a plan before you even buy the ingredients and you will already be a step ahead.

Keep Some Parts Separate

Sometimes the final touches need to happen at the last minute. Making a salad ahead is great, but if you add the dressing a day before the whole thing will start to wilt. For sauces and dressings, store them separately so that everything can come together right before you serve it. And if you are sprinkling herbs or other garnishes on top, make sure to hold off on that until the very last moment as well. A dish with that extra item at the end will make everyone forget it was made ahead.

Room Temperature Dishes Are Your Friend

Not every meal has to be piping hot. And if you can pick a dish that doesn't need to be hot then you save yourself the potential headache of reheating. A lot of meats, fish and pastas do just as well when served at room temperature. The key is to make sure the dish has enough flavor to counterbalance the lack of heat. This anchovy pistachio pasta from Bring It! is a perfect example — the sauce is as quick as a pesto but the flavor is so exciting that no one will care whether you serve it hot or cold.

Cook in Your Serving Dish

Prepping food and reheating it gets so much more difficult when you have to move it. Cook meats and fish in a Dutch oven or other nice looking pot so that it can be at home in the oven, in the fridge or on the table. Everything from casseroles to pies can be made in a single dish, so you'll save yourself time and cleanup.

Don't Ignore Your Storage

When making food ahead, the storage is key. Investing in some good containers with tops that seal everything in will make all the difference. And in a pinch, just layer: use saran wrap, tape it down, and then add aluminum foil on top to be sure. You want to make sure your dish is properly stored before you can feel ready to bring it back out again.

Bonus: Have Great Recipes

It doesn't make any sense to make food ahead if you don't have a good recipe to start. So make sure you have good base to begin, whether it's for brunch or just appetizers. But if you want to start with dessert, check out this recipe for S'mores Bars from Bring It! ahead:

S'mores Bars

Makes 8 to 10 Servings

Ingredients:
3 cups crushed graham crackers
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, melted,
plus additional for the pan
1 egg, beaten
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking pan, approximately 13 x 9 inches.

Stir the crushed graham crackers, brown sugar, butter, and egg together until fully incorporated. Spread the mixture across the baking pan. Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes, until the crust is firm.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips and marshmallows evenly over the crust. Return to the oven to bake for 10 more minutes, and then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, making sure to brown but not burn the top.

Remove and allow to fully cool to at least room temperature. Cut into squares before serving.

Reprinted with permission from Bring It! by Ali Rosen, Running Press