make-aheadadj.n.
/ˌmeɪkəˈhɛd/, U.S. /ˌmeɪkəˈhɛd/, /ˈmeɪkəˌhɛd/ Originally and chiefly North American.
A. adj.
Of food, a dish: that can be prepared well in advance of serving; (also) designating a person who or cookery which makes use of such dishes.
ΚΠ
1950 New Jrnl. & Guide (Norfolk, Va.) 18 Nov. 8/3 Hints for gelatin... Here's an easy make-ahead salad for career-girl wives.
1960 Gleanings Bee Culture Apr. 229/1 Refrigerator desserts! The make-ahead kind you can blend with ease, slide in the refrigerator to set and chill.
1961 N. B. Nichols Farm Jrnl.'s Timesaving Country Cookbk. 7 The make-ahead or two-step cooks who distribute the work in making a dish so that the bulk of it may be done in advance.
1965 Ebony May 192/1 The secret of this time-saving helper is that it's a make-ahead meal.
1992 Canad. Living 1 Dec. 119 This make-ahead menu will let you relax with a family supper while you reminisce about the Christmases past and anticipate the good times of tomorrow.
1998 BBC Vegetarian Good Food Sept. 44/2 This colourful recipe is a great make-ahead dish.
B. n.
A dish that is prepared well in advance of serving.
ΚΠ
1971 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 11 July 8/1 Ice cream creations have the advantage of being make-aheads.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1950