The holidays are a time to celebrate, but it's also a time for cooking and eating. If you're looking for a way to get into the kitchen this season, here are some helpful tips:
Clean Out Your Fridge and Pantry
Clean out the fridge and organize your pantry. If you have any leftovers from last week, throw them away. If there are things like condiments or spices that you use once in a while, get rid of those as well.
It is advisable to free up some room in your freezer. Take out all of the cold cuts and frozen foods so that they can thaw faster during the holiday season when cooking is more likely to be done at home rather than going out to eat with friends and family members!
Get out all your serving dishes
When you’re cooking for a large group, it’s important to have enough dishes. It might seem like an obvious thing, but many people forget about this when they get ready for the holidays. You want to make sure that everyone has something to eat from your kitchen, so having enough serving dishes is really important!
It can also be fun and creative when you serve food on unusual plates or bowls. If there are lots of kids at your house this year, consider making some cute placemats with pictures of their favorite things on them—they’ll love seeing their names in print again!
Wash cutting boards
If you're going to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or any holiday meal, it's probably best to clean off your cutting boards.
If you have wooden boards (which are often the ones used in kitchens), make sure they're completely dry before storing them. If not, they can warp when exposed to moisture and bacteria growth. You may also want to avoid using them if your kitchen has a dishwasher as this could cause splinters or cracks on the surface of wood.
Clean out all your Tupperware containers and reusable plastic bags
Tupperware containers are great for storing leftovers in the fridge, but they can also be used to transport food from one location to another. For example, you could use them when going grocery shopping or cooking at home. They're also easy to clean and store away when not in use so that you don't have a bunch of plastic waste laying around your kitchen!
Reusable bags are another alternative if you want something durable (and reusable) but don't want anything too bulky or heavy—like a cardboard box would be if it were filled with food instead of watermelon slices!
Sort through your spices, herbs and cooking ingredients, and replace as needed
One of the best ways to make sure your kitchen is ready for holiday cooking is by making sure you have all of your spices and herbs on hand. This can be done in a few steps:
- Check the expiration dates on items like dried chiles or vanilla extract; if they’re close to expiring, consider buying more fresh ones instead of reusing old ones that may not be as potent anymore (and then risk having an unpleasant surprise when you open them). It also helps to note whether an ingredient was purchased from bulk bins or containers at larger grocery stores—some foods such as olive oil will go bad more quickly than others depending on their freshness levels.
- Check for any signs of mold or mildew on fruits/vegetables—if you find something like this inside a package before opening it up at home so that no one else gets sick from eating them; consider throwing out those items immediately!
Check and change the batteries in all your kitchen gadgets as needed
Change the batteries in your smoke detectors. You can clean and organize it, or just throw away any expired batteries.
Wash or wipe all kitchen tools, appliances, pots, pans and utensils with hot soapy water before using them again for the first time after Christmas break (or whenever you think it's been a while since they were cleaned).
Buy new dish towels
If you have a dish towel that is still in great shape, give it a new purpose. Use it to dry your hands after washing them and wiping down the countertops. If you don't have anymore dish towels, go ahead and use an old one as a dusting cloth or cleaning rag for spills on the floor or table.
Making a few small changes to your kitchen before the holidays can help you avoid problems while you cook. We hope these tips have helped you get your kitchen ready for the holidays. It can be tough to make all of these changes at once, so we recommend starting one thing at a time and working your way through them, one by one. If you’re still having trouble getting everything cleaned up before the big day, give us a call! We’re happy to help with any questions or concerns that may come up. Happy holidays!