How to Prep Your Kitchen for the Holidays
If you were in charge of Thanksgiving this year, you may have found some weaknesses in your kitchen prep. Cluttered counter space, precarious refrigeration storage, and battles with plastic wrap can turn any holiday kitchen work into a nightmare. While the Key Land new homes in Savage MN feature plenty of large open kitchens with great storage, there are still ways to make your time in the kitchen more streamlined and less stressful. The following are some simple tips and additions that will go a long way in improving the holidays and cooking in general.
No matter how large your refrigerator, when it comes to the holidays, you can always use more space. If you have extra shelves that came with your fridge that you don’t normally use, consider putting them in so that you’re not stacking food precariously. To further open up space in your fridge, break out those camping coolers — the bigger the better. A cooler is a great place to store a defrosting/defrosted turkey before baking, opening up more space in your refrigerator. Another great use for coolers is for cold drinks. Why let them take up needed space when you can simply throw them all into the cooler and family and guests can help themselves. Stick them at the end of the kitchen island or wherever they’ll be out of your way, but still easily accessible.
Speaking of drinks, rather than buying numerous plastic water bottles, buy some pop-top glass carafes and refill them regularly so there are always plenty of cool ones on hand. Not only do they look nicer on the table than plastic bottles, they can be reused throughout the year. Fill them with all sorts of drinks, such as lemonade, iced tea, or your cocktail of choice. These leak-proof bottles are attractive and environmentally friendly.
If you compost your organic waste, make sure you have a container that provides easy access, while also blocking odors. There are compost bins that attach to cabinet doors and are removable for washing in the dishwasher. They make it easy to quickly sweep peels and more into the container and feature tight-fitting lids to prevent odors.
Finally, instead of dealing with reams of plastic wrap for containers, consider investing in a set of silicon lids that form an airtight seal on glass, ceramic, and plastic containers. Once again, they’re better for the environment and honestly, they’re much easier to use than that plastic wrap that just seems to tear and stick to itself. After a long day of cooking, who wants to deal with that kind of frustration!
Much of the key to getting the kitchens in your new homes in Savage MN ready for the holidays is making sure you have the right tools and organization. Use your cabinets and kitchen island to store items, rather than keeping them on the countertop where they can get in the way, but make the most of drawer and cabinet organizers so everything is easy to find. If you haven’t sorted out a good recycling system, now is the time to get containers designed to help you separate glass and paper so you don’t end up with stacks building up on the countertops. Think about what bothers you the most when you’re doing a big dinner and try to find solutions to the biggest problems. With your spacious Key Land kitchen, you’re sure to find easy fixes to create a delicious, memorable meal.