Preparing Your Kitchen For The Holidays | Tips & Ideas

Over the next two weeks countless turkey dinners will be cooked in homes around the country. Is your home up to the task? Get ready for a stress free holiday preparing your kitchen for the holidays!
Replace Outdated Appliances: As the holidays are approaching, now is a great time to consider which appliances are in need of replacement and which can stand to make it another year.  An appliance may seem like a significant and unnecessary expense this time of year. Yet, consider the alternative – a stove or fridge on the fritz with a house full of people.
Complete Basic Maintenance: If you are going to stick with your tried and true make sure your key player – the oven – is in good form.  Clean your oven thoroughly in the days leading up to your guests’ arrival.  Also double check the temperature gauge by placing an oven thermometer in your oven, setting the temp to 350 degrees and waiting for it to warm up.  If the thermometer read out matches the temperature that you chose, you can cook with confidence!
Stock Your Pantry: While you will no doubt be making a detailed grocery list, don’t forget to stock up on the essentials well in advance.  Make sure you have all your pantry basics including trash bags, storage bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, coffee filters and containers for leftovers.  Also evaluate your spice rack and check the expiration dates on all spices that you plan to use.
Sharpen Your Knives: We can attest – a tradesman is oftentimes only as good as their tools!  With that in mind, make sure that yours are up to par!  Check out this link to find out how.
Evaluate Your Needs: As you are preparing your Thanksgiving feast, don’t forget to pause to evaluate whether or not your space is meeting your needs.  Do you have enough storage?  Is your entertaining area large enough?  Are you craving more countertops?  If so, there is still time for a kitchen renovation before the winter holidays or it may be the perfect task to be added to your New Year’s Eve resolution checklist!