Know How : Holiday Kitchen Prep
The problem with most of us is that we are inflexible. Sure we like to believe that we would to the right thing, the most logical thing, but usually we end up doing our thing. What is funny, sad really, is that during heavy times like the Holidays, we wind up tripping over ourselves doing the easiest of things because we are afraid to change up our systems. Here are a few things you could do to change up your kitchen for the Holidays or any other time of year.
Rearrange Your Kitchen Cabinets
Figure out what is in your kitchen cabinets that you're not going to
use during Holiday cooking. If you won't be using wine glasses because
grandma won't allow it, move all of the wine glasses into the pantry or
into storage and free up that space.
Most people just have a shelf or a cabinet for their baking supplies like muffin tins, pie pans, and cookie sheets. If you are going to use these, consider sitting them out on the counter or at least rearranging them so that what you need is on top and easy to find.
Basically, you want to move out of the kitchen cabinets anything that will be in your way once you start all the nonstop cooking, and bring in anything that is currently not in your kitchen that you will need, like a crock pot. I know it sounds scary, but you can put everything right back after the Holidays are over.
Move Your Appliances
If you are like most people and store your stand-up mixer in another
room until you are ready to use it, consider moving it into the kitchen
for the Holidays. If your kitchen is small, move the microwave into
another room if the mixer takes precedent during this time.
Before any of the cooking begins, clean your oven thoroughly. You don't want the house to fill up with smoke and ruin your first meal because the oven wasn't cleaned properly. If you have a self-cleaning over, this is no sweat. Just remember to do it.
Other High Traffic Times
Certainly there is more entertaining to be done than just Thanksgiving
and Christmas. Sometimes birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and
Independence Day can bring 50 people over. These times are no different
from the traditional Holidays in that you need to make your cooking or
entertaining space work well for you long before you even work in it.
Clean off the grill and the grill grate. Find those grilling tools: tongs, long fork, spatula, lighter, etc.
In the Kitchen, if you aren't making pies, won't be using the mixer, or have no use for the crock pot, store them out of your way. There is no sense in reaching over or around these items when they can just be stored far away from your path.
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Outdoor Kitchens
If you have an outdoor kitchen and will be using it frequently, treat
it the same as your main indoor kitchen. Bring out any items that you
will need so that you aren't constantly running back inside for
something while the steaks burn.
If you have a sink with a garbage disposal, throw some lemon peels in there so that the odor does not mix in with your grilled foods.
Bring flatware and dishes out ahead of time, and plenty of cutting boards to move the meat and veggies from the grill. Foil is always handy, and a few knives to check the doneness of the meats.
Last Minute Kitchen Party Ideas
We just get stuck in our ways and never think how easily we could move
around if so many daily things were not in our way in the kitchen. You
can move everything right back. Spend a few minutes moving things
around, and you might save yourself gallons of stress and miles of
running back and forth.
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