Tips on How to Prep Your Kitchen for the Holidays
*this is a guest post.
It’s mid-December, which means there’s a few more days left before Christmas! Holiday potlucks and dinner parties are starting to fill the calendar. For you, it might be a pretty stressful time if you are hosting a Christmas get-together at home.
Prepping Your Kitchen
Your kitchen is likely to be a hub of activities so it is important to clean and decorate it before the holidays. Aside from making sure that your kitchen is ready to take on guests, ensure that it is beautifully decorated to set a mood for the Christmas season.
Start by cleaning and organizing drawers and cupboards. See to it that everything is in place so that it is easier to rummage through them when looking for kitchen utensils. If the lights are busted, replace them. Cooking will take place on Christmas Eve so make sure that busted lights won’t hinder your activities.
Clean out the refrigerator, oven and microwave. It can be embarrassing to have someone warm up food in the microwave and see that it’s splattered with spoiled food. Avoid self-cleaning the oven the night before you are going to have the party because it might end up failing to function the moment you put the turkey in. Quickly clean the oven with a wet rag around the burners and leave the rest of the cleaning for another day.
As for the refrigerator, it will be used a lot and filled with heavy dishes so make sure the doors are tightly shut for the food to stay fresh all the time.
You can spice up your kitchen with Christmas hand towels designed with Christmas trees and wreathes. There are motif sets that include napkins, aprons, tablecloths, and potholders. Like the decorative hand towels at Harris Scarfe online, which set a joyful mood in the kitchen. Preparing meals will remind you of the warm feeling that the Christmas season brings.
Stock Up With Food
Make sure you stock up food properly especially if your kids or guests have allergies. Have plenty of options available. Stock up with vegetables, meat, non-alcoholic drinks, and other types of food depending on your guests’ preferences. Create a cooking schedule if you must. Prepare ahead of time. Vegetables can be chopped and stored in advance while potato dishes can be can be prepared in a baking pan a few hours before cooking.
Check on Home Safety Mechanisms
It is important to make everything childproof if small children will be visiting your home. You may designate an area in the garden where the kids can play and hang out. However, make sure that plugs are covered, there are no lamps or glasses nearby, and danger prone areas such as stairs are blocked off. Have a first aid kit ready or replace missing materials in an existing one. If you do not have a fire extinguisher at home, we recommend getting one. You never know when a loved one is going to get hurt so better be prepared for the worst.
Thank you for this guest post!