Keeping Organized: Getting prepared for holiday baking

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s that time of the year again, where the holidays gear up and the eating begins. Professional organizer Andi Willis returns with ways to help you organize your kitchen in order to prepare for your holiday feasts.

First tip is to clean out your spice rack. Spices do in fact expire, and using an ingredient that’s lost its flavor may ruin your world famous cake or pie everyone in your family looks forward to each year. Checking those expiration dates before baking is key!

Next up is cleaning out that refrigerator. Out-of-date salad dressing? Throw it away along with anything else that’s going to take up space for any leftovers that are ready to move in. And wipe those shelves down while you’re in there!

You will also want to take a few minutes and take stock of any sort of essential ingredients you will need for your baking. Running low on flour or sugar? Make sure you’re well stocked beforehand to prevent any emergency runs to the supermarket.

Another lifesaver is a healthy collection of cheap plastic containers. Your guests might want to head on home with a helping of seconds, so sending them away with food inside one of these prevents you from trying to get your favorite dinner plate back from the neighbors.

And use a lot of paper plates and cups! If time is a crunch, then disposable utensils will save a lot on after-meal clean-ups.