Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s have come and gone; the holiday season is officially over. Your kitchen has worked overtime with endless amounts of hours since the Thanksgiving holiday. The baking and cooking marathon of endless amounts of meals, and special treats have completed the task of hosting and feeding your friend and family.
The holidays are surrounded around creating new traditions or recreating old traditions that have been passed down with so many of them center around the kitchen oven. The endless array of relatives and friends, that you may need to entertain. This does not include the usual day-to-day meals and cleaning that needs to be completed.
While we may love every minute of the endless amounts of family time, all the activity can become stressful if your kitchen is cluttered with so much stuff you can’t find what you need. Have you ever been the victim of buying something you already had in the pantry because you jammed everything in there? The first part of the year right after the holidays is the time to prep your kitchen for the new year and get rid of that extra holiday pantry clutter your kitchen does not need. As my mom would say, all this is expired from the last holiday, why don’t you get in the habit of purging your kitchen right after the holidays?
Countertops
Are you the victim of not having enough counter space during the holidays or ever? Make room now, and declutter the countertops. Move all non-essential items to their proper storage spot or purge them through donation, trash, or recycling. Small appliances that aren’t used every day, and those boxes of cereal should disappear. Your countertop should not be an area for storage, that will collect dust. Once you allow yourself to leave one nonessential item on your countertop it just opens the door to more clutter.
The Pantry
Expired, expired, and more expired can be found in the pantry if you do not purge often. It’s time to take stock of what’s in your pantry. Decluttering may not seem worth it because it involves taking everything out, checking expiration dates, and putting it all back in an orderly way.
Spices and Baking Staples
Who checks the expiration date on their spices? Is that a thing? Pay special attention to the spice rack when you’re decluttering. Most spices don’t “go bad” but they do lose their potency over time, especially ground ones. Toss the expired items and load up on fresh flavors. Flour and powdered, granulated, and brown sugars should be checked to make sure there hasn’t been an invasion of insects.
Food Storage Supplies
Ground zero for plastic containers with no matching items. We all have that drawer or cabinet that’s jammed with containers with no lid or a bunch of lids that fit nothing. Go through your stash of food storage containers and toss the ones that are stained and discolored or don’t have a lid.
Refrigerator and Freezer
Cleaning the refrigerator should be simple because you do it weekly, right? If not, toss spoiled food and check any condiments for expiration dates.
Dishes and Glassware
I like to freshen up my dishes once a year. If you like to use special holiday dishes and glasses, you need to make room for them in the cabinets. Getting rid of some items’ novelty glasses, chipped dishes, dull overused glasses, and dishes will make room for the new and create space.
Cookware and Small Appliances
Time for a reality check with your cookware and bakeware. The same goes for small appliances—especially those specialty appliances that can only perform one cooking task. It might be time to upgrade to more efficient all-in-one small appliances and cookware. The toaster that instantly burns your bread in every setting, is telling you it’s time to retire it.
