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Give yourself an early advantage and reorganize your kitchen so that it is functional for a steady stream of guests. When you’ve got four pots on the stove, a turkey in the oven, a ham in the microwave and 18 hungry people in the living room — you’ll be glad you did.
Cleaning Out
First, get rid of everything you are not going to use. To be organized and sane, you need space — and lots of it! Open up every kitchen orifice and take everything out. Clean the empty area and then — now this is the trick — only put back what you are going to use during your influx of guests. Pack up the rest and throw it away or stick it in the garage.
- Cabinets and cupboards: Replace the summer patio ware in your cabinet with your serving dishes and good china. Find and clean the roasting pan, bread pans, etc. Replace your everyday glasses and cups with ones that match.
- Drawers: Put your silver in a handy drawer. Find the feast-prep gadgets (basting thing, candy and meat thermometers, cheese knives, cheese holders, etc.).
- Pantry: Be ruthless. Is anyone really going to eat that six-month-old opened bag of Oreos? Toss. What about the cans of soup no one liked? Charity bins. Have the spices been there as long as the house? Trashcan. Make room for foods that people are actually going to eat.
- Refrigerator and freezer: Nothing says “ick” like a dirty refrigerator. Dump everything out. Clean it from top to bottom. Toss the stuff with old expiration dates and any jellies dating back to the last century. Make room for the goodies you’re going to be cooking.
Regroup
As you work your way through your kitchen, rethink your cabinet and drawer plan. Which cupboard is really best for the glasses? Which counter is more convenient for the coffeemaker? What drawer should the corkscrew be in?
A lot of the time, we tend to leave things where we first put them, even if that spot turns out to be inconvenient. Why? Because once you move the glasses to the cup cabinet, you now have to find a new home for the cups, which displace another item. It’s a round robin effect. So take advantage of this opportunity and develop a kitchen plan. Mentally divide your kitchen into activity areas so you and your family won’t be falling all over each other as you try to work. Here are some ideas:
- Food prep center: Keep knives, a butcher block, blenders, mixers, food processors, measuring cups and spoons here.
- Cooking center: Store pots, pans, potholders, cooking utensils, oils, etc. near the stove.
- Baking center: Even those who despise cooking succumb to a little baking from time to time. And if you make it easy for yourself, you might do it more often. Gather your recipes, flours, yeast, baking powder, pans, cookie cutters, mixers and bread machine in one corner of the kitchen. Bring on the cookie exchange!
- Kid center: We want the kids to be more self sufficient — just not underfoot. Set aside a cabinet (in a far corner of the kitchen) that’s just for their stuff — kiddie cups, paper plates, napkins, straws, crackers, juices. Then they can get their own snack without involving you.
- Guest center: You know how people congregate in the kitchen — usually right in front of the drawer you need to get to. Create a cozy little area at the bar or kitchen table where they can sit and talk to you as you work — but stay out of the way. This can be as simple as setting up an area with various types of teabags in a pretty basket, a couple of cups, napkins and scones — all ready to be enjoyed.
Shop and Stock
Keep the following food in your pantry and refrigerator for on-the-spot entertaining:
- Cheese and crackers
- Chips and dips
- Cookies, biscuits and scones
- Fresh vegetables
- Nuts
- Miniature frozen quiches or pizzas
- Wines
- Soft drinks
- Sparkling waters
Make Your Battle (Menu) Plans
Plan your main feasts now. Check what ingredients you have on hand; put the rest on a shopping list. Find the appropriate recipes and put them in one binder in your kitchen. Locate serving dishes for each entrée and make sure they are clean and ready to roll.
Carefully schedule the necessary food preparation. What time do you plan to eat? Given that, when should the turkey go in the oven? When should you sautée the shrimp? List all the preparations you need to do at the time you need to do them. That way you'll serve the shrimp on time, and you won’t find a forgotten tray of appetizers on top of the fridge after the last guest leaves.
When 20 people are in your kitchen chatting and asking questions while you’re trying to put a five-course dinner together, that checklist could be a sanity saver.
