If I made a cottage pie today..

[Hobby2014]

When should I cook it by/eat it by?
I want to make one today, layered up etc but not cooked and then cook it tomorrow for dinner.
Would it be ok? Or should I cook it today and reheat tomorrow ?
Do I keep it in the fridge?
I usually always make things fresh each day but just wondered if I can make it ahead.

I don't actually know the answer but I'd make the mince today and store in the fridge and then do the mash and layering tomorrow.

It's almost certainly fine to do the whole thing today and cover and keep in the fridge then cook tomorrow.

What you are suggesting will be fine.

Prepare it today, keep it in the fridge overnight and cook it tomorrow.

It will be fine in the fridge til tomorrow. I quite often make it up as far as mashed potato on top and then heat it through and brown the top the next day. I quite often make an extra one for the freezer too.

That sounds fine. You'll have cooked the mince through anyway, which is the important thing. Then cool it down and pop it in the fridge and you can cook it through tomorrow.

I reheat them a second day anyway.

3 days as long as it's chilled and wrapped properly. Or freeze?

I do this a lot. Make a cottage pie or lasagne on my day off and oven cook the next eat when I get in from work. It's fine.

I wouldn't store it raw. Either just cool the mince part, cool and put in the fridge, or cook the mince and layer with the mash and cool before putting it in the fridge.

I usually fry a load of mince with onion then split it to be made into chilli/lasagne/bolognese/shepherds pie/mince and onion pie. I either make the sauces up and add the mince before cooling and putting in the fridge/freezer or just store the mince and make the sauce/mash when using it.

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go with the majority and give it a go! Wish me and the others eating it luck lol

crazykat it's not raw though, the mince part will have been cooked with the carrots/gravy etc and the potatoes will have been cooked ready to mash so it is all cooked already, just like a ready meal, which will store in the fridge for several days without any issues.

As long as you cool it quickly and put it in the fridge until you need it, it will be fine. It might be easier to assemble if you put the meat in the serving dish to cool but don't wait too long before you add the mash or it will get too solid and dry to spread out effectively.

I often reheat leftovers of this type of meal and it's never quite the same after it's been oven cooked the first time so it will be much nicer if you just assemble it with cooked mince and cooked mash and then cook it whole for the first time when you want to eat it.