Coming home to a refrigerator stocked with ready-to-heat-and eat meals is everyone’s dream, but in reality make-ahead recipes often fall short: soggy breaded chicken, gluey mashed potatoes, and dry, dense casseroles are more the norm.

In The Best Make-Ahead Recipe, we uncover the secrets behind truly great make-ahead cooking. From oven-ready stuffed chicken breasts and rolled and stuffed flank steak to cheesy baked ziti and tamale pie, the test kitchen shows you step by-step-how to prepare make-ahead recipes so that they always taste fresh and flavorful.

The test kitchen also expands on the make-ahead concept to include double duty cooking, which allows you to cook one big meal and use the leftovers to get in a head start into creating an entirely new second meal. And because everyone can use a little-make-ahead help when entertaining, the test kitchen provides flavorful, foolproof make-ahead recipes for appetizers and desserts.

Helpful features such as testing notes and test kitchen tips highlight key findings in our testing process and will help you become a better cook. Ingredient and equipment ratings are sprinkled throughout, so you’ll spend your money wisely and with the best results. Holiday entertaining is especially conducive to the make-ahead concept and the test kitchen devotes a special chapter to show you how to get things under control, so that your day runs smoothly. With recipes, menus, shopping lists, and detailed time-lines, you’ll be fully equipped to pull off that special meal.

A lifesaver for busy families and anyone who likes to entertain, The Best Make-Ahead Recipe will give you the recipes, tips, and techniques to plan and cook ahead – whether you are hosting a dinner party or just trying to put fresh food on the table night after night.