10 Tips to Make Hosting and Cleaning up After Thanksgiving Dinner EASIER
Thanksgiving is easily my favorite holiday of the year. Family, Friends, and turkey! I can say that I look forward to Thanksgiving all year. What don’t I look forward to? The cleanup. So here are my top 10 tips to make cleanup easier and the day more enjoyable.
1. Start your holiday with a clean slate, which will make the inevitable mess less daunting than piling clutter onto clutter. Get your fridge Thanksgiving ready. The day before Thanksgiving clear out your fridge to make room for ingredients and leftovers. Remove any items you don’t need, throw out anything that has gone bad, and try to create empty spaces for leftovers
2. Empty your dishwasher in the morning before guests arrive. If your dishwasher is completely empty, you’ll be able to fit more dishes in it.
3. Double- or triple-line the trash can, so you already have a clean bag in place when a full bag is removed. Have garbage cans/bags easily identifiable for garbage and recycling. Keep the cans lined with additional bags ready to go when one if full.
4. To prevent food from sticking to pots like glue, fill a plastic tub i.e. tote or garbage can with Warm Water, dish Soap and some vinegar to soak those pots and pans that will require extra soaking. Soak the dishes as soon as possible after cooking. Don’t stack dirty dishes on top of one another. This dirties both sides of a dish, so you’ll need to work twice as hard to clean it.
5. There is no shame in using Disposable items i.e. paper plates, plastic utensils, cups, etc.
A great alternative to disposable items is silicone bakeware. Almost nothing sticks to silicone and it’s a breeze to clean!
6. Set up a leftover station. Have Tupperware and bags ready to go for guests to take leftovers home.
7. Do not use a lot of tools when cooking. Try to minimize the number of pots, pans, and measuring cups you use when cooking. Try to use only one or two measuring cups, cleaning the cup out in between ingredients. Wash mixing bowls as you go. You can reuse the same bowl for preparing different foods rather than dirtying a single bowl.
8. When it is time for the main meal, put away any leftover dip or appetizers you had out for snacking. Place appetizer plates and serving pieces, cooking utensils, dirty glasses, cutting boards, dishes and bowls you are done with into the dishwasher. Turn it on so it can run while you feast and then be ready to be reloaded.
9. Hold off on serving dessert until the kitchen has been cleaned from the main dinner.
10. Prepare food dishes in advance. Not only will you cut down on the amount of dishes and utensils you will need to wash day of, many foods benefit from being prepared in advance.
Foods to prepare before Thanksgiving Day:
- Casseroles: Pretty much anything with ‘casserole’ in the name is built for being made in advance. They reheat well, and I feel like they actually benefit from being made a day ahead, to give the flavors time to marinate!
- Cranberry Sauce: Tastes best when it has had time to sit, for example, 1 week. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavors.
- Stuffing: Stuffing is always better when made ahead of time. Stuffing can be time consuming, so make it a day ahead of time. Be sure to cool completely before storing. The texture stays the same when made day of or in advance. Re-heating in the oven will give you a nice crispy topping.
Ask for help. Many guests will be eager to help to show their appreciation. If you need help with something, politely let your guests know.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope these tips will help you cut your clean up time from hours to minutes and will give you more time to enjoy family and friends.
