It’s that time of the year when your kitchen is about to be more than just the heart of the home… it’s about to be the star of the show. Holiday cooking and baking are here and your kitchen will be pulling double duty getting dinners prepped and holiday treats baked.
For some, prepping for the holidays often means stress and chaos; however, an organized and well-stocked kitchen + pantry will greatly reduce any feelings of anxiety and pressure by encouraging a clutter-free and functional food prep space.
Before things start to get too crazy, take a weekend to knock out these 5 tasks to prepare your kitchen + pantry for the holiday season so that you can enjoy it way more, and stress way less.
5 Ways to Get Your Kitchen + Pantry Organized for the Holidays
- Edit & Take Inventory - There is nothing worse than getting ready to cook and realizing you are out of an important ingredient, or worse, it’s expired and no longer usable. Pull everything off the shelves in your pantry & from your refrigerator. Take inventory of what you have and make a shopping list of what you need for those holiday dinners & treats. While you have everything out of the fridge & pantry inspect each item’s expiration date and throw out anything old.
- Clean - Since you have everything out now may be a great time to do a quick wipe-down of shelves and drawers. It might not seem like having a clean pantry and kitchen would make that much difference in your cooking productivity, but take my word for it - it definitely does! Plus, if you are hosting or having friends or family cooking with you, a clean and tidy area will help you feel even more prepared for hosting guests.
- Sort & Categorize - Before putting everything back that is staying, create categories and group like items together. Keep condiments together, produce, drinks, and dairy all in their own group. This will make things super easy to find during prep. In fact, we’ve created a blog specifically for how to best organize your refrigerator here. Do the same with your pantry and create zones for different food groups. Keep baking supplies together, sauces and oils, snacks, and cereals all in their own areas to make finding things a breeze. Here are some of the ways we recommend organizing your pantry to maximize space.
- Remove Clutter from Countertops - Now that you went through your pantry + refrigerator, take a look around the rest of the kitchen. Particularly the countertops. Do you have clutter lying around like papers, toys, or random items that don’t belong? Sort through it and decide whether it can be tossed, stored in a cupboard, or belongs somewhere else entirely. Freeing up the tabletops and counter space will make cooking so much easier because you’ll have plenty of space to work without worrying about losing something important, or spilling something.
- Address Kitchen Repairs - If your faucet leaks a little, your dishwasher has a funky smell, or a light flickers, go ahead and address that stuff now. What may not be “that big of a deal” right now could turn into a much bigger problem when it interferes with your cooking and meal preparation during the holidays. Your future self will thank you!
Get Holiday Help & Cut Down on the Prep
If reading through this list of tasks made you feel overwhelmed, don’t worry because we can help! If you lack the time, skill, or desire to get your kitchen + pantry holiday ready - we can do ALL of it for you!
You can spend your time gift shopping, decorating your home, or just relaxing and listening to some holiday tunes. Contact us today to get on our holiday schedule.
Wandering if you need professional organizer? Get our guide here.
