The amount of hard work and effort that gets put into creating delicious meals during the Christmas period requires a kitchen that’s fully prepped and ready for the mayhem that’s about to begin. Without organizing every detail beforehand, you leave yourself open to encountering so many unnecessary issues that can easily be avoided by following just a few simple steps. If you’re in charge of the kitchen this Christmas and want to use your initiative and get ready before all of the hustle and bustle kicks in, then read on to uncover some top tips that can aid you in getting prepared for the most mouth-watering meals ever this festive season. 

Clear Out The Fridge

Around 2 weeks before the festive season is in full swing, clear out every item from your fridge to start afresh with everything you need over the Christmas period. It’s no use simply squashing all of your old food to the back, as it’s going to go out of date very quickly and make the surrounding items inedible at the same time. The amount of extra food the average household purchases during Christmas is just so high, and you have to have the space to accommodate each one of these items without damaging it. Donate anything that you won’t have time to eat at a local food bank rather than simply throwing it in the bin, as this could make someone elses Christmas just a little bit better instead of adding to a landfill. There are so many recipes that can make use of all of those UFO’s (unidentified fridge objects) that cleaning out your kitchen needn’t be a difficult task at all! Once its completely empty, get to work with some warm soapy water and wipe down every surface inside to get rid of any bacteria or lingering smells and make a clean environment for your festive ingredients to sit in wait for the big day.

Get Your Ingredients Ready

One of the worst things you can encounter whilst cooking up a feast on Christmas day is a lack of ingredients, as all shops will no doubt be closed and the products you need will simply be out of reach. This can easily be avoided with a little bit of forward thinking and preparation, as you can sketch up a list pretty quickly when you know which meals you’ll be making. Ensure that you get down to the shops to buy any tinned or long-life ingredients a few weeks before you need to use them, as this will mean you only have the fresh to worry about during the busiest times. Track your progress by removing them from the list as you go, and ensure that you have all that you need for your main Christmas dinner at least 2 days before the big day. Don’t be afraid to stock up, as it’s likely you won’t want to leave your family to go grocery shopping regularly during this time! There’s no harm in buying a little extra, as you may make some mistakes along the way and require more ingredients to start over. 

Prepare All Necessary Equipment 

If you have all of your ingredients but no equipment to cook with, it’s just not going to work. It’s vital that you check (and check again) that you have everything you need, from cookie cutters to saucepans, garlic mincers to serving plates and cutlery, as without even a couple of these your whole extravaganza might just come crashing down.  If an appliance breaks down, check out https://www.markrepairs.com/ to get it repaired. Check that the equipment that you do have actually works, and source an appliance repair service to fix any issues in a timely manner before you have to get going. If you have to replace some items or invest in anything extra but your budget won’t stretch this far, don’t be afraid to look online to find secondhand products that work just as good as new for less than half of the original price. Always be sure to sanitize anything that’s been used before, even if it was just by you, to remove any bacteria and make it clean and ready for whatever task you might need it for.

Make A Plan For Each Meal

This may be quite difficult as it will take some time, but making a plan for each of your big meals during the Christmas period will really help to relieve some pressure. When you make a meal plan, you can better identify which ingredients you need to purchase beforehand, and what equipment you need to get it together, so essentially your whole practice will be improved. It doesn’t have to be in depth – just briefly outline what kind of dish you would like to serve and think about the specifics as the dates get closer. Meals like breakfast do not need a mention, just those that require extra effort and time to prepare. You can check this with all of your guests and attendees to ensure its all fine with them, and follow your plan meal by meal without having to rush around thinking of ideas at the very last moment. 

Getting your kitchen ready for Christmas doesn’t have to take as much strength and willpower as you might initially imagine, as these easy steps make it so simple to prepare in no time at all. Start by clearing out your fridge and cleaning the contents to make way for all of the festive foods, and write your ingredients list in advance to plan out your various shopping trips to avoid being left without. Don’t forget to check that you have all of the necessary appliances for each different dish, and test each one individually to ensure its in perfect working order. If you have a little bit of free time, attempt to make a brief meal plan that covers the big dinners running up to Christmas day, as this will make it much easier for you to cover every little detail and make the experience run as smoothly as possible.