The holidays are just around the corner! The key to enjoying your holidays is preparation, and your kitchen arguably needs the most love. This room will be a hotspot for cooking, socializing, and serving your guests, so it’s best to make sure it’s in perfect condition before the holidays are in full swing. Here are five tips for prepping your kitchen for this joyous season.
1. Clear Out Your Fridge and Cabinets
Who says that spring cleaning is the only time you can organize your kitchen? The holidays are the perfect time for clearing out your fridge, cabinets, and any other kitchen storage compartments. This way you can assess your current inventory of ingredients, foods, and drinks and throw out anything that is expired so that your culinary creations are as fresh as possible for your guests. Afterward, place the ingredients you know you will need for recipes up front for easy access. As a result, your fridge will have more room for your Christmas ham, as well as for leftovers you may bring back from holiday parties!
2. Deep Clean Your Kitchen
Cleaning your kitchen is an important step while preparing it for guests – this includes making sure all of your dishes, appliances, glasses, and linens are 100% clean. Your special china and holiday dishes only come out once or twice a year, so they’re definitely dusty and would appreciate a good wash. Make sure to also clean your kitchen cabinets and countertops so that they are stain and bacteria-free. Your guests will fall in love with your shiny, clean kitchen adorned with holiday decorations!
3. Prep Your Decorations and Settings First
On the day of your holiday gathering, you want your main focuses to be cooking and greeting guests as they arrive. You don’t want to be in a rush to decorate your home and set up the dining and socializing areas for your guests on the day of. The day before, set up your holiday decorations around your kitchen and designate spots for socializing, picking up finger foods, and throwing away trash. Check one last time to make sure you have enough candles, champagne glasses, and utensils on display for your guests to use. Spending less time securing last-minute decorations and amenities for your guests means more time spent cooking your best holiday recipes!
4. Child-Proof Your Kitchen
You may have children at home, or your guests may be bringing their little ones over for the party. In either case, make sure your kitchen is child-proof. During the holidays your kitchen surfaces may be covered with kitchen knives, lighters, and household cleaners that are dangerous to children if they get their hands on them. Make sure to store these harmful objects in upper cabinets where little ones cannot reach them before the festivities begin, and use child-safety latches on all the lower cabinets so that items in these places cannot be accessed either.
5. Make Space for Appliances
You may be tempted to hide away all of your big kitchen appliances (such as slow cookers and mixers) to make more room for cookie and cocktail trays, but think twice. When it comes to making a holiday dinner, you are probably going to end up using all of your appliances anyway. Therefore, when decorating and preparing your kitchen for the holidays, plan around your kitchen appliances instead of stashing them away from the get-go. This way you don’t have to go through the extra work of lugging your appliances back out when you need them.
Holiday Kitchen Design in New Jersey
Follow these simple tips and you’ll be well on your way to an easy and entertaining holiday season in your kitchen! Ensure that your kitchen and dining area are in top condition by visiting Cabinets Direct USA, one of the largest cabinet companies on the East Coast. We offer world-class customer service and a wide variety of cabinets, countertops, and vanities, and our team of licensed installers is ready to help you. In addition, we also offer free kitchen design services to make your kitchen look the best! Contact us at one of our six showrooms today to get a head start on planning for the holiday season!