13 Ways To Prep Your Kitchen for Holiday Cooking

Reclaim simplicity at home with these holiday kitchen prep tips. You don’t need to overhaul your entire kitchen to simplify. With even just a few of these tips, you can get your kitchen holiday-ready now so you can enjoy the festivities later!

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Rebecca making sourdough dough for holiday kitchen prep

Table of Contents

The holidays are nothing short of sweet, magical—and stressful. But your holiday gatherings and meals don’t have to suck the life out of the holiday cheer.

I’m here to help you reclaim simplicity this holiday season with easy ways to prep your kitchen so you can ease into holiday cooking and baking.

The secret to a stress-free holiday feast is prepping your kitchen in advance. Without a doubt, the holidays will sneak up on you, so give yourself time to get ahead of the game.

Of course, every home cook needs different things for holiday kitchen prep. The tips below help me in my holiday kitchen.

But I encourage you to take what you need and leave what you don’t. Don’t let these holiday kitchen prep tips pressure you to do more than you need or want to.

Instead, kick the holiday rush to the curb and easefully prep your kitchen with the tips and tricks below that will actually simplify your holiday.

With the right prep, big meals don’t have to equal big stress. And your holiday can be filled with spending more time together and less time in the kitchen.

Cheers to that! Cheers to you! And happy holidays, friends!

Image of a woman preparing a kitchen for the holidays, featuring a white Dutch oven and a clean countertop, with the text overlay '13 Ways to Prep Your Holiday Kitchen' and the website moonandmagnolia.com.

Help with Holiday Kitchen Prep

Before we dive into my top tips for holiday kitchen prep, I want to remind you that you don’t have to do it all.

Here are a few ways to take some of the holiday meal stress off your shoulders:

Ask for help: Ask a family member for a helping hand in the kitchen. They can keep the dishwasher running, take out the trash, chop veggies, and run to the grocery store to grab sugar (I swear, I always forget the sugar).
Delegate: Holidays are an excellent time for everyone to participate. If you have kids, give them a job to do in the kitchen. Make it a sweet and memorable family affair.
Have a potluck: If you invite guests, don’t be afraid to ask everyone to bring a dish to share. This can alleviate a tremendous amount of stress and everyone gets to show off their favorite recipes.

Video – Holiday Kitchen Prep

Join along as I prep my kitchen for the holidays! Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. New videos come out weekly.

Ok, and without further ado, here are 13 ways you can prep your kitchen for easeful holiday cooking!

Get Organized

An organized kitchen is an efficient kitchen. On my YouTube channel, I’ve talked a lot about efficiency in homemaking. And there is no better time to dial in efficiency than during your holiday kitchen prep.

I recommend honing the cooking pinch points in your kitchen and getting them squared away.

That junk drawer you haven’t opened in a month? Deal with that another day.

But the pantry shelf that makes you want to scream every time you cook? It’s a good idea to get that organized before you start your holiday cooking.

Tips for an Organized Holiday Kitchen

Pantry: Make sure everything in the pantry has a dedicated shelf or spot.
Fridge: Ensure nothing is expired and that there is enough space for holiday groceries, make-ahead casseroles, and leftovers.
Cookware: Arrange your pots and pans so you can get them without having to tear apart the entire cabinet to find the right pan or lid.
Measuring cups and spoons: Double check that you have a full set of measuring cups and spoons and that they are arranged for easy use.
Storage containers: Holidays are filled with leftovers. Get all of your storage containers organized and make sure they all have lids.

Simple Kitchen Organization Tools

Adjustable Food Container Lid Organizer

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Adjustable Pot Lid Organizer

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Stock Your Pantry

Take a quick inventory of your pantry to ensure you have all the essential ingredients and extra items you need for your holiday recipes.

If you aren’t sure what staples to keep in your pantry, check out my fall kitchen essentials checklist. These ingredients are useful for most holiday celebrations.

Pantry Staple Checklist

Of course, your menu will dictate what you need in the pantry. But here are a few staples just about every holiday cook will need:

Flour: Stock up on any varieties you need for baking, such as all-purpose, bread, pastry, and whole wheat flour. If you mill your own flour, make sure you have enough grains.
Sugar: Refill your sugar containers with white and brown sugar (I always need more brown sugar than I think I do). And though it isn’t a pantry item, don’t forget the maple syrup.
Baking soda and baking powder: Double-check to make sure your leaveners haven’t expired.
Salt and pepper: These are so easy to forget when shopping. If you are running low, grab extra on your next grocery order.
Spices: Refill and restock your spices. I cover more about this later in the post.
Chicken broth: Chicken broth or stock is the unsung hero of the holiday kitchen.

Clear the Counter

Cluttered counters make cooking and baking extremely stressful. A few days before you start cooking your holiday feast, clear anything off that isn’t necessary.

You don’t have to get rid of it; just find a new home for things like decorative items, that extra bottle of hand soap sitting around, or appliances you won’t use for holiday cooking.

During the holidays, the more open counter space, the merrier.

Clean Out the Fridge

Rebecca cleaning out fridge for holiday kitchen prep

Decluttering the fridge can help you take stock of what you need and what needs to go. Use up anything close to expiring. And pitch anything past its expiration date.

Also, ensure you have plenty of fridge space for a turkey, ham, extra ingredients, make-ahead casseroles, and leftovers.

Tips for Cleaning Out the Fridge

Only you know exactly what you need for your kitchen. But when it comes to cleaning out the fridge, this is what I think about:

No orangizers: I have found that fridge organizers don’t help much. I end up forgetting about everything in the back of the container. And it’s hard to get ingredients out of them without taking the entire container out. But that’s just my experience and opinion! You do what makes you feel organized.
Pitch expired ingredients: Anything that is past its prime needs to go.
Freeze ingredients: If you have freezer-friendly items in the fridge but they are taking up valuable holiday real estate, stash them in the freezer so they are out of the way.
Need to use: Move anything that needs to be used asap up front and center so you don’t forget about it.
Clean: Give your fridge a good cleaning. It’s so satisfying to open the doors and see a squeaky clean fridge.

Check Your Spices

Check the expiration dates on your spices. Pitch and replace anything past the expiration date (expired spices lose their potency). And make sure you have all the classic holiday spices you need for specific recipes.

Must-Have Spices for the Holiday Kitchen

Allspice
Star anise
Ginger
Cinnamon (sticks and ground)
Nutmeg
Pumpkin spice
Cloves (whole and ground)
Sage
Poultry seasoning
Thyme
Celery seeds
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Clean the Oven

Rebecca wiping out the oven for holiday kitchen prep

I have mixed feelings about cleaning the oven right before holiday cooking marathons.

On the one hand, I want a sparkly clean oven for cooking.

But I also have a history of dropping unbaked pies in the oven. Once, it was a pecan pie (which was a total mess, by the way). And last year, it was an unbaked apple pie that went crashing down.

So I hesitate to spend too much time cleaning my oven because I know it will need to be scrubbed again after the holidays.

How To Steam Clean Your Oven

This year, I decided to steam clean my oven to prep for the holidays. Then, when the cooking and baking madness comes to a close, I’ll do a heavy deep clean.

Here is how you can steam clean your oven for easy holiday kitchen prep:

Use the oven feature: My oven has a steam clean feature. So I just add about a cup of water to the bottom and hit the steam clean button. I wipe it out with a wet towel when it is done. And that’s it! Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your oven.

Use a pot of boiling water: If you don’t have a steam clean function on your oven, no worries at all. You can still steam clean your oven:

Fill an oven-safe pot or dish with water and place it in the oven.
Set your oven to 450° F and let it steam for an hour.
Turn off the oven and let it cool.
Remove the water and wipe out the oven with a damp towel.

Season Your Cutting Board

Close-up of a hand conditioning a wooden cutting board with oil using a cloth, showcasing proper kitchen maintenance.

A well-seasoned wood cutting board can prevent unwanted bacterial growth, protect knives, and restore the board’s aesthetic.

Really, I recommend seasoning your cutting board once a week. But during heavy cooking seasons, you may need to season it more frequently.

How To Season a Cutting Board

Clean: Use warm soapy water to thoroughly clean your wood cutting board.
Oil: Apply a food-safe mineral oil and rub it into the surface of the board with a paper towel. You can do this 2-3 times, especially if you have a thick board or butcher block. Allow the cutting board to rest 30 minutes or so between coats.
Condition: After you oil the board, apply a cutting board conditioner to help seal in the oil. You can also repeat this 2-3 times. Allow the cutting board to rest 30 minutes or so between coats.

Make-Ahead Recipes

Top view of a bowl of 3-ingredient creamed spinach in a blue and white dish, placed on a marble countertop with a gold and black spoon beside it.

You don’t have to make everything on the day of the holiday (whew!). Casseroles and side dishes, for example, often taste better the next day.

By making a few dishes ahead of time as part of your holiday kitchen prep, you can focus on other parts of cooking, baking, and enjoying the holiday.

In addition to making a few recipes in advance, this is also the time to plan any family recipes you want to add to your holiday menu.

Make-Ahead Dos and Don’ts

DO make these ahead of time:

Squash casserole
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean casserole
Pies, cakes, and other desserts
Broth and stock (make these weeks in advance and freeze them)
Chopped veggies

DON’T make these ahead of time:

Turkey, ham, or other protein
Stuffing (more about that in the next section)
Mashed potatoes
Greens
Mac and cheese

Make a Sourdough Plan

Sliced sourdough bread on a decorative towel

I know that with so much hustle and bustle, adding sourdough on the holiday menu seems impossible.

However, with a few tips and tricks, you can easily work sourdough into your holiday kitchen prep.

Check out my Thanksgiving sourdough schedule:

Thanksgiving sourdough baking schedule with a timeline for preparation and baking tasks, featuring a loaf of artisan sourdough bread in the bottom section and the website moonandmagnolia.com.

More Tips for Thanksgiving Sourdough

Bake now and freeze. If you are making homemade sourdough stuffing, make your bread now, then freeze it until you are ready to cook. Also, make sourdough sandwich bread now. Then, freeze the bread so you have it for leftover turkey sandwiches.
Make-ahead fridge dough. For fresh bread on Thanksgiving Day, 1-3 days before, make the dough through shaping. Then, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Experiment early. Don’t try new recipes the day of! Recipe test any yeast-to-sourdough conversion recipes now so you can be sure it turns out.
Build up your discard stash. Make sure you have extra discard on hand for dessert recipes. Keep the extra starter in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Check Your Cookware

One year, I forgot that I had gotten rid of my roasting pan. When I went to make my turkey, I had nothing to put it in. I improvised with a baking dish, which was far less than ideal.

The moral here? Learn from my mistakes! Check your cookware and bakeware before the big day.

Holiday Cookware Checklist

Make sure these cookware pieces are accounted for, washed, and ready to go:

Roasting pan
Well-seasoned cast iron skillet (check out my skillet size guide to see which is best for you)
Cast iron Dutch oven
Stock pot
Sauce pot (large and small)
Casserole dishes
Pie pan
Glass baking dish
Cookie sheets
Bread pan

Wash Linens, Flatware, and Serving Dishes

Close-up of a kitchen sink area with a decorative glass bowl and a black faucet, as a person in an apron prepares in the background.

Make sure everything is clean a few days before the holiday. The last thing you will want to do in the midst of cooking a feast is a extra dishes and laundry.

Don’t Forget to Wash These!

Of course, what you need to wash depends on what you have and want to use. But here are a few items to consider digging out and cleaning up:

Tablecloth and napkins
Special flatware
Serving dishes and utensils
Champage flutes & wine glasses
Punch bowl and mugs
Extra coffee cups

Sharpen Knives

Sharp knives make prepping your ingredients and meals much easier and safer.

You can get your knives professionally sharpened. Or you can easily sharpen them at home.

My husband is our resident expert knife sharpener, but I use a handheld sharpener for quick sharpening.

My Favorite Easy Knife Sharpener

3-Stage Knife Sharpener

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Stock the Basics

We often get stuck on all of the ingredients we need for holiday kitchen prep. But running out of dishwasher detergent is a huge holiday hot mess.

Stock up on the household basics so you can keep up with the flow of dishes, garbage, and cleaning.

Household Basics Checklist

Dishwasher detergent
Garbage bags
Plastic bags
Aluminum foil
Platic wrap
Coffee filters
Napkins
Paper towels
Tea towels
All-purpose cleaner
Cleaning towels/rags
Food storage containers

Shop My Holiday Kitchen Essentials

My favorite kitchen tools for scratch cooking displayed on the kitchen counter

Curating your kitchen to meet your needs is essential for holiday kitchen prep and everyday cooking.

You can shop all of my favorite kitchen products here. But below are my must-haves for the holidays.

If you have more ideas to add to this holiday kitchen prep list, share them in the comments below!

And don’t forget to pin this post and follow Moon + Magnolia on Pinterest. You can save all my recipes on your boards and keep up with the latest happenings!