Rachael Ray’s Trick for Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Is Straight-up Genius

We’re not going to sugarcoat it because there’s really no way around it: cooking for the holidays is stressful. From choosing the right recipe to ensuring the food tastes good, home cooks have a lot to juggle leading up to and on the big day—one of the most important things being timing.

It seems like everything on Thanksgiving, specifically, cooks at different temperatures and times. You’ve got the turkey cooking all day, the veggies roasting at the last minute, and then there are the mashed potatoes.

Do we all underestimate just how quickly mashed potatoes cook? Once you’ve peeled and boiled your potatoes, they’re basically done; all that’s left is to mash and season them. Yet many of us frantically get our mashed potatoes ready before the rest of the meal, so they’re left to get cold and congealed in the pot. And nobody wants to eat cold, gloopy, messed-up mashed potatoes.

Rachael Ray’s Solution for Keeping Mashed Potatoes Warm

Luckily, one of our dependable, no-frills home cooks, Rachael Ray, has the easiest trick for keeping mashed potatoes warm all Thanksgiving long.

“Hold your mashed potatoes in a bain-marie, or water bath, with a lid on top [and] they stay for hours—days really,” Ray said in an interview with Allrecipes while promoting her partnership with Home Chef.

The method is oh-so-simple. Just make your mashed potatoes according to your favorite recipe. Then, take a larger pan or pot (one that can fit the mashed potato pot) and fill it with about an inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer on the stove. Put the lid on your mashed potato pot and gently place the pot inside the simmering water bath. Leave the stove on low and allow the water to simmer for as long as you need it to keep your potatoes warm.

Not only will the water bath keep your potatoes warm, but it will also keep them light and fluffy. Now no one will ever be at risk of hearing “Do you remember that Thanksgiving where you ruined the potatoes?” again.

And Another Tip for Gravy As Well

In addition to this genius mashed potato hack, Ray has another tip about mashed potatoes’ best friend: gravy. On Thanksgiving, you can never have enough gravy—some people’s plates are swimming in more gravy than actual food.

Because everyone is passing around the gravy boat, make sure you have enough to go around. Ray says that the drippings from your turkey just won’t be enough. So, always make a base gravy that you can add the drippings to later—or simply use the base gravy and save the drippings for leftovers later.

This way, you can make your gravy ahead of time and reheat it on Thanksgiving for super easy prep. In the end, you might have extra gravy, but at least you’ll have plenty to satisfy all your guests.