Vegetables That Can Be Cut Ahead of Time (and Those That Shouldn’t)
It’s almost impossible to go overboard with Thanksgiving preparations. I say “almost” because my mom once prepared all Thanksgiving meals ahead of time and then reheated them on that big day. It was very similar to how we all went to The Blip and came back the day after Thanksgiving. Some foods just don’t store well, especially after they’ve been cooked, but even the process of chopping vegetables can start a process that affects the flavor and texture of the final dish. Some vegetables are fine if prepared a few days in advance, but some are best chopped, sliced, and diced just before eating. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Non-starchy root vegetables
Let’s start with the good news: there are quite a few vegetables that can be peeled and chopped two to three days before cooking without any of the dreaded side effects of oxidation, significant moisture loss, and decomposition. Non-starchy root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, radishes, and onions have a two- or three-day window for peeling and chopping. For onions, wrap the chopped onions in aluminum foil before packing them in a covered container to prevent your refrigerator from becoming Pandora’s onion box.
Some cruciferous vegetables and fruits
Cruciferous vegetables are considered one of the hardiest edible plants. These are vegetables with tough stems and leathery leaves. You will most likely see them packaged at various stages of grinding at your grocery store. You can chop broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale in three to four days; celery and mushrooms can be cut two to three days earlier. Fruits that we usually think of as vegetables, such as peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini, can be cut up about two days before meals.
Better wait on tender leaves
Think twice before cutting anything with tender or tender leaf. For some plants, cutting can severely damage plant cells, quickly showing bruising and dark soft edges within hours (or sometimes minutes). Baby spinach, lettuce, herbs, and oddly enough, fresh green beans are best chopped on game day. With herbs in particular, you’ll get the most flavorful finishing effect if you chop them just before serving.
If you absolutely must cut any of this ahead of time, make sure you use a sharp knife. This applies to cutting in general, but a sharp knife with a thin cutting edge will cause less damage by cutting through plant cells cleanly, rather than crushing them like a dull knife does.
Starchy root crops oxidize quickly
Although non-starchy root vegetables can be stored for several days, starchy ones are more susceptible to oxidation and enzymatic browning . You’ve probably seen this happen after cutting or biting into an apple, after five or ten minutes the flesh of the apple starts to turn brown. This is the enzyme reaction of a fruit or vegetable after it has been exposed to oxygen while slicing. Starchy root vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips, and turnips oxidize more easily than the vegetables mentioned above.
If you don’t like waiting until Thursday to peel five pounds of parsnips, you have a couple of options. The night before, peel or chop them and submerge them in water. Water will prevent oxygen from interacting with the exposed vegetable flesh. The downside to this is that vegetables like potatoes lose their starch when soaked in water, and if you leave them in the bowl for too long they can get soggy and fall apart. Another option is to toss chopped starchy vegetables in an acid like lemon juice. The acid in the lemon juice will keep the enzymes from doing their job. In any case, slicing and processing starchy vegetables is best done the night before.