27 Things to Get Rid of in the Kitchen Before Thanksgiving

Nothing turns a happy chef into a frazzled one like rifling through drawers or disassembling the kitchen to dig out the necessary tools. Don’t let this be you at Thanksgiving. For a smoothly running kitchen — and, more importantly, a smiling cook — eliminate everything that doesn’t need to be in your kitchen before the big day.

1. Any more than three spatulas (keep any combination of no more than three sizes or types)
2. Can openers (you only need one)
3. Corkscrews/wine bottle openers (keep the one you always reach for anyway)
4. Tupperware missing lids
5. Lids missing tupperware
6. Empty glass jars you’re keeping “just in case”
7. Used twisty ties
8. Pens, pencils, Sharpies (you get to keep two of each)
9. Paper and plastic grocery bags (depending on what you use them for, keep about five of each)
10. Condiment packets from fast food places or restaurants
11. Take-out menus
12. Everything in the junk drawer (except what’s worth putting back in and organizing)
13. Papers and pictures stuck to the fridge
14. “Junky,” advertising, or broken magnets
15. Extra whisks (no more than three in different sizes and materials)
16. Used candles
17. Salad tongs (you need one set, max)
18. Napkins from the drive-through
19. Expired spices (get new ones for maximum flavor; make a list)
20. Expired canned goods and other pantry items
21. Chipped mugs
22. Chipped dishes
23. Chipped anything
24. Old rags and sponges
25. Cleaners you never use (again, keep only what you always reach for)
26. Bottle brushes (you can keep three if they are different sizes)
27. Aprons in excess of whoever cooks in your household plus one for guests

These kitchen items don’t need to occupy valuable real estate in prime locations of your kitchen. Things that you use only a couple times a year should be stored in the hard-to-reach spots or, if you have the space, elsewhere in the house, like a cabinet in the garage.

Bonus: If you dig up and move these things out of the way now, you’ll know exactly where they are when you need them on the big day.

• Party platters
• Cake/cupcake carrier
• Pie pans
• Pie weights
• Specialty bakeware (the madeleine pan, the tart pan, the springform pan, etc.)
• Trifle bowl
• Sprinkles collection
• Cupcake liner collection
• Piping bags and tips
• Candles
• The apple peeler/corer
• Specialty molds (a spoon mold, heart molds, bundt cake molds)
• Cake stands
• Gravy boat
• Large roasting pan
• Electric knife

Putting the time in now to get behind-the-scenes ready will not only pay off on the biggest cooking day of the season, but will also give you an efficient kitchen all year round.