An Organized Kitchen Makes Holiday Cooking and Entertaining a Breeze

There isn’t a holiday celebration that doesn’t include food. And for many people, it includes cooking and baking family-favorite recipes, from prime rib to snickerdoodles. It’s guaranteed that during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah, your home will fill up with out-of-town visitors, returning college students, friends, and especially very excited children.

Whatever your cooking or entertaining plans are for this festive time of year, they’ll be easier with a well-organized kitchen where you can find everything you want and determine what you need to make your favorite recipes.

Or, if cooking isn’t your thing, you can efficiently serve delicious take-out meals. Whatever way you choose to feed the people you love, the food is more about gathering everyone together to celebrate than anything else.

First, Declutter Everything

You can’t roll out cookie dough or chop up vegetables if your counters are cluttered, and you won’t be able to make a shopping list if you aren’t sure if you have chocolate chips, popcorn, or cinnamon. So here’s how to get started organizing your kitchen—preferably sooner than later!

• Start with your biggest space—probably the pantry—and take everything out to get reorganized.
• Check expiration dates on items you haven’t used in a while that may need replacing, especially spices and baking ingredients.
• Start a shopping list of staples and items you want to have on hand for guests, like crackers, cheese, sparkling apple juice, wine, and other treats.
• Repeat this process with smaller cabinets, checking all cooking utensils and small appliances to ensure they’re clean and ready to use.

Label Everything in Your Pantry

Once you’ve sorted through your pantry supplies and created a shopping list, start labeling:

1. Move anything you can from its packaging to a see-through container with an airtight lid. Storing your pantry items this way allows you to see what you have and what you need to replenish much more quickly.
2. Place large-font labels that you can print on your home printer or with a hand-held label maker on each container so you know what’s inside.
3. Set a sticker on the bottom of the container with the expiration date that you can update as you replace your depleted supplies.

Divide Your Kitchen into Zones

Most of the year, it’s ok to have a bit of clutter on your countertops. But during the holidays, when it may seem like you’re constantly cooking, baking or washing dishes, a clean, open workspace is the best way to start your preparation.

If you have the room, create zones on your countertops and in your cabinets for your high-rotation prep and cooking items:

• Bakeware such as cookie sheets, muffin tins, and cake pans
• Casserole dishes in various sizes
• Mixing bowls
• Stand mixers, hand mixers, and other small appliances
• Cookie decorating supplies (keep in a see-through portable container)
• Roasting pan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Grater, shredder, chopper, and juicer

Make Room for Holiday Items

Your holiday items may be stored in your basement or tucked away in a bedroom closet. So you’ll need to make room for all of your festive dishes, platters and other items in your kitchen. But how do you do that?

Clear out a cabinet of items you don’t need during the holidays. For example, if you have melamine plates for outdoor dining in the summer, move those to where your holiday dishes are stored during the rest of the year. Take out your basic serving dishes and stash them away. Under-bed storage containers are a great way to store them for the holidays. And fully embrace your holiday items for everyday use. Keep cake plates and other stackable items in the corner of your pantry if you have one that’s large. If you don’t have the extra pantry space, stash them in the corner of the kitchen. You’ll be using them a lot, so they won’t be in the way all the time.

Make Your Holiday Easier with Help from Art of Drawers

The holidays are a great reason to call Art of Drawers to update your cabinets with useful tools to make them more functional and easier to manage. Some of the options available include:

• Pantry Organization 
• Pull Out Drawers
• Lazy Susans
• Pull-Down Cabinets
• Drawers for dish storage
• Corner cabinet storage
• Accessibility updates for the disabled

Contact Art of Drawers for a Free Design Session

Art of Drawers has solutions for all of your kitchen storage needs. Schedule a free design session with Art of Drawers and get started making your kitchen the most organized and easy-to-use it can be for the holidays and everyday. Contact us online or at 770-800-8410.