5 Ways to Prepare Your Kitchen for the Holidays

The holiday season is supposed to be merry, but hosting a major holiday with an unprepared kitchen can put a serious drag on your merriment levels. Having the extended family over for a dinner or party is a large task, but it's not impossible! There are plenty of steps to be taken to prepare your kitchen for your big day, and we've got five helpful hints for getting everything in order before the main event. With the right preparation, the only thing you'll be stressed about come party time is whether Uncle Jimmy will make an inappropriate joke in front of the kids. (Note: He will.)

Call Upon Your Small Appliances

We've said it before and we'll say it again: If it heats, it helps! Range space will be at a premium on the big day, so rounding up any heat-generating small appliances will be instrumental in maximizing available oven and stovetop room. Slow cookers, toaster ovens, rice cookers, hot plates - anything that's capable of cooking or keeping things warm is something you'll want to have handy. Don't forget that there's plenty of standard holiday fare that can be prepared in small appliances rather than on a range or in an oven, like potatoes in the slow cooker or steamed vegetables in a rice cooker. If you just need to keep foods warm, small appliances like hotplates or toaster ovens are capable of doing that as well.

Clean Out Your Fridge

Between stocking up on ingredients, defrosting your turkey, stashing your appetizer platters and preparing for an impending accumulation of leftovers, you're going to need every available centimeter of refrigerator space. Now is the time to clear as much area as possible, so take the opportunity to dig through every shelf and throw out anything unnecessary. Dump that nearly-empty sour cream tub, the leftover Chinese food, and that rubbery celery you swore you'd eventually eat. Be sure to clean the outside of your refrigerator, too - vacuuming dust off the coils will allow it to operate at peak performance, and cleaning the smudges off the doors will make it fit to be seen!

Take Stock of Ingredients You Already Have

Now that you've tossed the space-wasters, it's time to rally all the stuff you're actually going to use. You probably already have a great deal of the ingredients you'll need, and taking stock will save you money and grocery-shopping time. In addition to checking the refrigerator, comb your pantry for any dry goods, canned goods, and spices you'll need for your cooking marathon. Move everything you'll need to the front row, or even line them up on the counter if they're non-perishable, and everything will be easily accessible at Go Time.

Do Not Clean Your Oven

Okay, we should probably clarify this one: While "Clean" is the most favorable condition for an oven to be in, we do not recommend using your oven's self-cleaning feature too close to the day of your big meal! The scorching-hot temperatures necessary for self-cleaning require the heating element to work incredibly hard. Since the meal you're hosting will probably involve using your oven for the entire day, putting this kind of excessive stress on its heating element may cause it to malfunction or even quit altogether. If this is not something you'd enjoy worrying about on the day of your event, play it safe by avoiding the self-clean function. If cleaning absolutely must happen, let your only tools be a soft cloth, water, and some mild dish soap or baking soda.

Tally Up Your Dinnerware

"Hey Aunt Prudence, did you know there were no forks at the first Thanksgiving dinner? Historians believe that the colonists didn't start using them as eating utensils until the early 18th century! Anyway, that's why there's no fork at your place setting. Enjoy your historically-accurate Thanksgiving experience!"

Your relatives aren't going to buy this explanation, and if roles were reversed, you probably wouldn't either. Before your big holiday soiree comes up, take an inventory of every piece of dinnerware, flatware, and serving ware from all kitchen drawers and cabinets. Make double-sure you've got enough dinner plates, forks, spoons, knives, and glasses for everyone on your guest list. Don't forget to take stock of chairs, table space, and placemats too. It's not every day you entertain this many people at once, so make sure you've got enough of everything to go around.

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