12 Tips to Help You Prepare for Holiday Baking

The kitchen is the heart of the home – it’s where the warmth literally and figuratively comes from. Food fuels the body; togetherness fuels the soul. Here are 12 interesting tips to keep your kitchen and cooking in top shape as we go into the baking season of the holidays, from Jessica Derksen, intuitive consultant and owner/founder of The Organizers.

Cleaning

Start fresh and clean for the up-coming baking season. If you are always wondering how to clean your appliances, you might check the manufacturer’s instructions, most of which are available on-line. You’ll need to know the model number so you can get the specifics for your exact appliance.

For cleaning microwaves, Derksen suggests microwaving a water-saturated sponge for 1 minute. Let it sit for another minute and then wipe the inside out. No need for cleaners. The water steams and loosens the mess so it wipes away easily.

Baking soda is one of the best cleaners for the kitchen because it’s natural and non-abrasive. Derksen suggests using baking soda on a sponge to wipe out the inside of the dishwasher.

Organization

Have you rethought your kitchen since you moved in? Is everything in the right place or do you find yourself moving all around the kitchen to get what you need?  This is especially important when you are in the middle of holiday cookie baking or preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

Maybe it’s time to seriously rethink where you have everything placed. Are the glasses near the refrigerator to conveniently pour drinks or should they be closer to the dishwasher for when you unload? Do you need to move any appliances up into cabinets or down off the counter? Is there a better place such as the pantry or even the garage for things you don’t use often?

Have a friend come over and look in your cabinets (don’t worry – she’ll still be your friend even after what she might see). Maybe she organizes her kitchen in a way that makes more sense. She might learn something better for her own home in the process too!

If you need to purge items because they are disorganized or you aren’t using some things, Derksen suggests you time yourself.

Set the kitchen timer for 45 minutes and pull everything out that needs to be reorganized. Think about why you are holding onto something – sentimental attachment? Do you even know where the lid to that is? Derksen says to be mindful when you are purging so you can understand why you’ve been holding on to things.

When the timer goes off, give yourself 15 more minutes to put everything back and remove the items you’ve decided to part with. Put them in your giveaway pile or throw them away. You will feel better.

Side note: Derksen suggests making deals with your friends or neighbors to help each other with chores either of you really hates. If you hate ironing but your neighbor loves it, maybe you can clean her windows if she hates that and you don’t mind. Think about what trades you can make to make it easier for both of you. Derksen says she actually offers to alphabetize things for her friends because she loves doing that.

Food Freshness

Ok, here are some tips you will be amazed by for when you get to the actual baking part of holiday preparations.

Did you know once spices have expired, you can still use them? Derksen says you will have to add more because they aren’t as potent as they are when they are fresh but they aren’t going to spoil. You’ll just need to add enough to taste as opposed to following the measurement in the recipe.

How do you organize your spices? Derksen organizes hers alphabetically (or course). She also suggests some people might like to organize them by “savory” or “sweet” (for baking) – a shelf for each, if you have room.

She also suggests buying spices in bulk and relabeling them in different jars if you have empties from before.

If you are baking and using eggs, here’s a tip for determining how fresh your egg is – yes, you can use it after the expiration date!

Gently place your egg in a wide glass of water. If it sinks and moves sideways, it is fresh. The more it tries to “stand up” the less fresh it is and if it floats, throw it out.  Derksen suggests hard boiling any egg that is still fresh enough to not float but maybe stands up a little more than you’d like.

Also, always remember to crack the eggs you are using into a separate container before you add it to whatever you are making so you can remove any shell fragments that might chip off when you crack the egg.

So now you’re ready to get “cracking” on your holiday cooking and baking. For more tips from Derksen, check out her website at www.theorganizers.biz.