I do exactly that every year. Prepare it early, cook it day of. No loss in taste (better? Since the bread absorbs the flavors?).

Ok. But is the bottom part much more moist than the top since the liquid is going to drip to the bottom? Or do you keep mixing til it's all absorbed?

The bread and cornbread sucks it up before it hits the fridge

I almost always make it a day ahead. It is always good.

8 1/2 cups bread to 3 1/2 cups broth, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup butter. So basically 2:1

There are safety reasons not to put it together this early then cooking in on Thursday but a lot would depend on what is in it. If you could give a general list of what is in yours it would help separating what can be combined ahead of time. I would suggest putting all the dry ingredients together perhaps in a large plastic bag. Things like onions and any other veggies or any fruit are best added at the last minute as especially chopped onions can become stronger as they sit.

I always make it ahead and leave it in the mixing bowl. Thanksgiving day I take it out and stir well again (yes the liquid does float to the top) and add the raw eggs at that time. Then into the oven. This is for cornbread dressing. It works well for me.

The Cooks Illustrated recipe I use says that the "onion mixture", which is sauteed onion, celery plus herbs and aromatics, can been done up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. It goes on to say that "the stuffing shouldn't be assembled until just before cooking". "Assembled" means combining the the onion mixture with eggs, dried out bread, and chicken broth. The recipe suggests using egg bread, or sourdough bread, or a mix. Eggbread makes a rich and deliciously moist stuffing, a good sourdough is a close second for flavor.

So, no. Also I cook it in baking pan, not in the turkey.

To me stuffing tastes really good the next day and there is never enough. Personally, if I had to, I would make it ahead and reheat rather than assemble and leave it sit.

According to the counter early construction thought: bread pudding and breakfast casserole should also be avoided.

I think I'll keep making it ahead of time.

I frequently cook onions and celery in butter and add the broth 1 or 2 days ahead. On Thanksgiving day, I heat that up, combine with the bread and bake the stuffing, About the same as Elmer said.

Glad you got your answer....I forgot all about my stuffing! Another thing I have to make tomorrow.

I make my stuffing a day ahead. However it is stuffing for the bird, not dressing on the side. My stuffing is cooked (pan fried before going into the bird) so I make it, cool it down a bit, put it in a giant sealed Tupperware bowl in the fridge, and stuff the bird just before it goes in the oven.

I sometimes make a sauteed mushroom dressing for a second pan of a different type. Too much to do day of dinner. The recipe says I may prepare the mushroom/vegetable part of the dish the day before. What I've done is make the dressing, bake it complete, taking it out about 5 - 10 minutes before perfectly browned. Cool, then chill in refrigerator a day (or two). I put it back in the oven close to time to serve dinner, reheat through and finish browning. I may have to drizzle with a little more butter or broth if top begins to look a little dry.

I love tarragon on/in other things but I don't put it into stuffing.

I am doing the vegis now and the cubed bread is drying. Thursday I will soak it all with chicken broth and stuff the bird. The dressing should go in cold for safety so there is no reason not to prep the vegi's early.

Try it, Elmer. It sounds weird but it tastes really good (if you like the taste of tarragon.) Of course the butter and cognac helps too. :)

Morz, I like your suggestion too. Kathsgardn, sorry you have to make yet another dish! Your kids will sure appreciate such a wonderful dinner.

No, it doesn't sound weird at all. Tarragon is a classic herb used with chicken, should be no less a good match with turkey. I will try adding some. Thanks!

I do the dressing exactly as Cooks Illustrated. Have done it that way for years.

I make cornbread dressing and when making it ahead of time I mix the crumbled cornbread with the sauteed onion & celery, along with the remaining dry ingredients, then refrigerate. Broth & raw eggs are added the day of baking. Keep in mind that everything is cold from refrigeration and will take a little longer to bake.

You could always add the broth & eggs early Thanksgiving morning, give it some time to absorb broth and seasonings, then bake.

When doing Thanksgiving dinner, I may chop the celery, onions and whatever else needs to be chopped, put in plastic baggies and label what each bag is for. two days ahead. The day before I prepare all my side dishes including dressing. I believe in doing as much ahead as possible but would not prepare actual dishes more than a day ahead. I, too have back problems so I take breaks and rest the back every hour or so. It certainly slows down the process but we do what we have to do.

I have only prepared the dry ingredients for a pan of dressing ahead of time. In other words, cooked the cornbread and 2-3 biscuits a couple of days before and crumbled into a large covered bowl. Nothing else added until Thanksgiving morning. That is the way every cook in my family always prepared it and therefore so do I. I suppose you could add some of the seasoning, but that isn’t much ahead of the game.

It wouldn’t hurt to chop the onion and celery the day or two before, and then sauté together later. I would keep them in separate bags. Onion is strong.

When I made dressing, I did as my mother did: cooked the onion/celery, browned the bread with butter in the pan, then covered it and put it in the refrigerator. When I was ready to bake it, I then mixed the eggs with the chicken stock and poured it over the bread and then baked it.

I've been making it a day or 2 ahead for years - for myself. I can't do it all in 1 day and I don't even do a turkey. I do a chicken breast or 2. but I chopped up the things I need in advance. sometimes I'll do the onion / celery 2 days ahead and then the day before I'll break up crackers (it's cracker dressing) and mix it all together - and bake it. It's good for several days. I'll eat it til it disappears!

I usually also cook the chicken breasts the day before so I have the broth from them to add into the dressing.

TG day I make my potatoes, heat up the other stuff and I'm set for thru the weekend. If I'm not too tired (or in a lot of pain), I make up half the recipe for the grn bean casserole on TG day to bake while I do the potatoes.

I make mine a couple of days ahead and keep it in the fridge but there aren't any eggs, meat or broth in it. I add heated broth just before putting it in the oven.

I am doing the prep today and putting ingredients aside to assemble dishes.