Thanksgiving is just around the corner! We are all ready to stuff our bellies full of pumpkin pie! But is your kitchen prepared to handle the upcoming workload of cooking as well as the various guests that will be coming and going throughout this festive day? Here are a few simple tips to keep your kitchen tasks running smoothly this turkey day.

Get Organized

An essential way of keeping the entire Thanksgiving cooking process running smooth is by preparing for the day’s work ahead of time. One big way to make sure that your kitchen is ready to handle the workload is lighting. To accommodate the prepping, cooking, and socializing that will take place on Thanksgiving make sure to update kitchen lighting. We recommend under cabinet lighting for the small prep work like chopping vegetables and mixing pumpkin pie. Additionally, independent island lighting draws friends and family together over good food and good times.

Besides preparing your kitchen for the big day, make sure you have all of the ingredients required for cooking your Thanksgiving Day menu. Start by making a list of all the essentials (don’t forget the cranberry sauce and stuffing) then knock the grocery shopping the week or weekend before to avoid long lines or items running out of stock.

Tie the holiday together with festive home décor and table settings. Find an autumnal wreath for your front door to greet your guests as they arrive. Also, spruce up your home landscaping with orange and white pumpkins and colorful mums. On the inside, decorate with fall colors like burnt orange and burgundy. Setting up your Thanksgiving decorations beforehand saves you the time needed to devote to cooking your turkey dinner!

Turkey Time

No matter how much preparation you do the days before Thanksgiving, sometimes chaos can still follow on the big day. To avoid small calamities, create custom food labels to mark each individual dish if your family eats buffet style to keep dishing up plates quick and organized.

As for huge cooking disasters, make sure that you have a quickly-made backup dish in case things go terribly wrong. For instance, if your homemade apple pie doesn’t turn out, keep a store-bought alternative at the ready in your refrigerator.

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Hortons! Stop into your local store for help with updating your kitchen lighting this holiday or to check out our selection of festive decorations.