If you’re like me, Thanksgiving dinner usually turns out fairly well, but all of the preparation makes you too tired to enjoy it.
One of the biggest problems with creating any holiday meal is that the process can consume a lot of time and energy.
To make preparation more efficient and enjoyable consider these simple inexpensive cabinet alterations:
Swap Hardware
It might seem that cabinet knobs have no impact on Thanksgiving preparation, but knobs make it difficult to open doors and drawers because they slip far too easily from wet and oily hands. Additionally, if you have arthritis, attempting to grasp knobs can not only be difficult, but painful. Improve your efficiency by swapping knobs with lever handles or T-, D- or cup- shaped pulls.
Tip: If you still want knobs, improve your grasp by upgrading to larger ones.
Conquer Doors
Although doors help keep dust out of cabinets, trying to manage them while grabbing items off shelves during food prep can result in broken objects, floor traffic congestion and injuries. The best solution is to simply remove the doors. You won’t have to struggle while cooking and the open shelving can make a kitchen feel more spacious and welcoming.
Tip: There’s also still time to swap existing doors with lift-style hydraulic ones that stay out of the way while you’re working.
Speed Up Access
Searching for items in packed cabinets is another huge time waster. Although you can always move what you need to the front of shelves the week before Thanksgiving, your time could be better decorating or resting. Save yourself hassle this holiday, and in the future, by storing items you need on a revolving lazy Susan in a corner cabinet near your prep area.
Tip: If you don’t have an open-front corner cabinet, install a blind lazy Susan on a door that leads to a hidden corner.
Improve Portability
A lot of people tire out while swapping prep tools. Stop the hectic flurry of activity by installing a vertical rack on casters next to your cabinets. Put all the tools you'll need on the rack’s top shelf and then move the rack into position near you prep area. As you work, place used tools on the bottom shelf for later cleaning.
Tip: If you don’t have the room, install non-portable pull out racks in the lower cabinetry near one or both sides of your prep area.
