Despite the fact that we’re well into November at this point, I have yet to do a single thing to get my kitchen ready for the rapidly approaching holidays. If you haven’t either, then at least we’re in good company, and it isn’t to late to get ready either!
In fact, I’ve broken it down into a handful of the most important tasks. Tackle one task at a time, and soon enough, your kitchen will be in tip-top shape for the holidays, regardless of how grand or intimate your gatherings will be.
11 Tips To Get Your Kitchen Ready For The Holidays
1. Clear Out Old Food
Clear out any old food items (especially anything past its best-by date) from your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Not only will you get rid of all those expired or unwanted things that are taking up valuable shelf space, but you’ll free up room for incoming ingredients and future culinary creations.
Be sure to clean up any sticky messes if your fridge or on your shelves if you happen to have any. (This isn’t strictly related to holiday prep, but you’re already moving things around so it’s a good opportunity to take care of those messes!)
If you’re freezer’s feeling crowded, take things out of their bulky packaging to free up more space. Discard foods that show signs of freezer burn. If you have an older freezer that needs to be defrosted on occasion, you can probably gain some valuable storage space by defrosting it now.
2. Check Your Spice Cupboard
Go through your spice cupboard and check the best-by dates on everything you know you’ll use for your holiday dishes. When in doubt, spices that are over a year old could probably use replacing, as well as any that don’t smell like much of anything when you open them.
Here are some spices commonly used during holiday cooking to look for and restock as necessary:
- Poultry seasoning
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Parsley
- Garlic
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Vanilla extract
3. Clean Your Oven And Dishwasher
Your oven and dishwasher are likely to get a workout in the coming weeks, so you want to make sure they’re relatively clean and in good working order for the holidays. If your oven or dishwasher is looking particularly grimy, check out my tutorials detailing how to clean each here:
4. Inventory Your Cookware
Making sure you have all the cookware you need (and that you know where it all is) can go a long way toward making your holiday meals more efficient. Start by taking an inventory of your pots and pans—do you know where your roaster is, and where all the lids to your pots are?
Another good thing to do is check out your cookware for cracks, chips, or broken pieces so you know what needs replacing.
5. Wash Your Tableware And Linens
Since a lot of our holiday pieces only comes out once or twice a year, they might be a bit dusty. It’s a good idea to pull out any special dishes, glassware, flatware and serving pieces and give them a good wash—doing it ahead of time will ensure you’re not trying to wash a bunch of large dishes during the hustle and bustle of food prep.
Take the time to wash and iron your tablecloths and napkins too. If you like to use candles on your holiday table, make sure you have enough on hand and a lighter or matches to light them with.
6. Get Rid Of Clutter
If you’re anything like me, once the cooking begins in earnest, you need all the counter space you can get! To help free up more workspace, go through your kitchen and remove extra items from countertops, tables and shelves to declutter.
Put all these things into a storage bin or closet so you can get them back out and replace them after the holidays. With your temporarily pared-down kitchen, you’ll have the room you need to cook and bake your holiday meals to perfection.
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7. Sharpen Your Knives
Don’t settle for hacking up your turkey with a dull carving knife—take the time to sharpen it beforehand, along with your other go-to kitchen knives. Use either a sharpening steel, a knife sharpener, or take your knives to a local knife shop and get them sharpened by a professional.
8. Stock Up On The Basics
I find that if I’m going to forget about something, it’s not usually the ingredients or the table settings—it’s those everyday housewares that I didn’t think to check on! Save yourself some time and stress by making sure you have plenty of those everyday necessities. (For instance, you don’t want to finish up a big holiday meal and realize you’re out of dishwasher detergent!)
Not everyone will need all of these things, but here’s a general list of household basics you can check your stock of:
- Trash bags
- Kitchen string
- Aluminum foil
- Plastic wrap
- Ziplock bags
- Cheesecloth
- Dish soap
- Dishwasher detergent
- Toothpicks
- Batteries
- Coffee filters
- Paper towels
- Napkins
9. Give Your Kitchen A Safety Inspection
Whether or not you’ll be expecting little ones in your home for the holidays, making sure your kitchen is safe is a smart move! But if you are expecting little ones over, you’ll want to ensure they can’t get a hold of any potentially harmful objects, such as matches, lighters, sharp utensils and household cleaners, by storing them cupboards with safety latches.
And everyone should make sure they have a functional fire extinguisher and smoke detector in their kitchen. And speaking of smoke detectors, take the time to test all the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your house to make sure they’re working correctly. Better safe than sorry!
10. Give Your Appliances A Checkup
Check each appliance you plan to use, including your microwave, stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, crockpots, food processor, mixer and blender, to make sure they’re working and ready for action. As you assess each appliance, clean anything that could use it.
It’s also worth checking your oven temperature to make sure it’s heating up to the correct temperature. Learn more about calibrating and adjusting your oven at the link below.
Read More: How To Calibrate Your Oven For Better Baking
11. Consider Setting Up A Drinks Station
One thing I find helpful during holiday dinners is setting up water, sodas, and any other beverages out of the main kitchen area. That way, people can help themselves to drinks without creating a traffic jam for those of us who are working in the kitchen.
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You can do this for the duration of the season, which may be especially useful if you’ll have guests staying with you for the holidays. Set up an easily accessible beverage station with your coffee maker and coffee, water kettle and tea, and all the add-ins too. Put it in your living room, dining room, or wherever makes the most sense in your house so that guests can help themselves without crowding the kitchen.
Do you do anything special to get your home ready for the holidays?
Make sure to have enough food and beverages, but to have leftovers than feel like there is not enough! I love putting out bowls of Andes candies too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.clean out silverware drawer of all unneccessary items, if your like me you have a tendency to put odd pieces in there so you can find them. put a new liner in drawer wash the silverware tray if it is washable.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.i have a planner that i use from year to year, keep track of recipes, ideas, decorating schemes, who came who brought what etc. my plan for what to do on what day is in there, what dishes to use what works and what doesn’t is in there……my shopping list based on the recipes….that way i can just keep track os what is on sale and follow the plan. this way everything is done ahead of time, i get to watch the parade and i only need to do a few things on the actual day and i’m NOT spending the whole day in the kitchen away from family and friends
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bake things ahead so I dont have have to make everything in one day!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I plan to really enjoy this year as it is a once in a lifetime event of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving falling on the same day. Also I am employing the help of my older children to tackle all the necessary tasks! Happy Thanksgivukkah!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One of my favorite things to decorate for the holidays is the dining table. So many options and it always looks so welcoming!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I still have small kids and we go to several different houses for the holidays, so I don’t have a great tip for entertaining. However, when I do have people over, I want my focus to be on my guests not on the house. They are coming over for me, not a sparkling house. Five years from now, will it matter if I had dust in the corner of the ceiling? To me, the memories that are made are more important.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been using a method of holiday preparation passed down from my grandmother.
In addition to chopping the “holy trinity” (onions, celery, and bell peppers) and preparing cakes, pies, and side dishes days in advance for the holidays, my grandmother always stored non-perishables (recipe ingredients, canned goods, mixes, spices, condiments, etc) WEEKS in advance in a “Holiday Box” in her pantry.
She would also “decorate” her Holiday Box with Christmas wrapping paper and used the same box for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love planning the meal, looking for recipes, organizing my thoughts, to do this I use a note tablet.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like to list the menu starting with the appetizers, I make a note of where each recipe is located (the page # of the cookbook or the location in Pinterest…If possible I may print the recipe out at this point.
From here I make my grocery list.
prep as much of your food ahead so you don’t have to do as much
Please log in or create a free account to comment.relax and enjoy. if something doesnt go quite according to plan, it usually doesn’t matter, it might even make for good memories!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.pinned to my pinterest holiday board!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.make sure you have a good bottle of wine for the cook…something to sip while you are preparing the meal!!! i like pinot noir….you’ll feel great by the time the food is ready to serve!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We do some of these basics ahead of time. The key is a clean, fully stocked kitchen before Thanksgiving week! As soon as the turkey goes on sale, we buy it before the mad rush!! Also, Zen in the diffuser…sets the tone for the day and has such a calming effect on everyone! I’ve been using it at work and it’s amazing how many comments people make when they enter my office!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like to have a beverage station where guests and family can make their own thing to drink. That area is stocked with glasses, ice, pop, beer, wine, etc.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.following on pinterest
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Please log in or create a free account to comment.family feels so special when we make our own “punch” with sparkling water and various juices. It’s always interesting what flavors we come up with.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My tip – I try to remind myself on the day of the event, that no matter how much I prep and plan, to not stress if it doesn’t all go as planned. My husband often reminds me to take a breath and just enjoy our family and friends.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m disorganized by nature, so I plan, plan, plan! I write lists for everything, then enjoy the satisfaction of checking off as I accomplish things. I do as much as possible ahead of time….I even roast and carve my Thanksgiving turkey on Tuesday. I arrange it in a pretty baking dish, then reheat it on T’day. THIS year, my favorite thing about Thanksgiving prep is that one of my daughters is dong most of it! We all divide up the menu, but Jackie is hosting us….for which I am thankful!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.One of my best holiday tips is don’t put everything off until the last minute. I made that mistake last year and I was a zombie by Thanksgiving.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mine is more of a before and after. Two weeks before the big day get ahold of everyone that may be cooking and finalize the meal plan and the necessary grocery list. I like to keep all the recipes I will be using and the list in its own folder so I am not searching for them later. One thing that is always on the list is disposable tupperware. After the meal divide the leftovers and that way everyone gets a little care package and I do not end up with packed fridge full of more food than we can eat. (Of course this wouldn’t be such a problem if we didn’t always cook enough to feed an army haha!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m a big coffee drinker and try out different ones at times. I don’t let any of the less than favorable blends go to waste. I put unused coffee grounds in the bottom of my trash can, to help minimize odor. I may not like the taste of whatever brand, but they always smell wonderful. Just compost when the aroma subsides.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This isn’t really a tip on how to make the holidays easier, but I picked this tradition up from somewhere, and it has enriched out Thanksgiving every year. We love it, so here it is.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.At the end of the meal, when everyone is full and happy, we take turns around the table sharing what we are really grateful for this year. It is really surprising how much closer it brings everyone. Gratitude really is quite magical.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!