As autumn rolls forward into the holiday season, many of us find ourselves hosting special dinners, cocktail parties, or other food-focused events. While the details will vary from event to event, it is always important to plan ahead. The Pinterest-board, party-theme-planning and menu-setting are super fun! But unless you have a professional kitchen and a staff on-hand, there are some other preparations for the event that could trip you up if you forget about them. 

#1. Clean your fridge

A day or two before the cooking begins (before you go grocery shopping for ingredients), take some time to clean out your fridge. Toss any leftovers and assess your space. Is there enough room? Not only for finished dishes that need to be stored, but also for any dough or drinks that need chilling? Pre-chopped fruits and veggies that will take up space?

No room at the moment? Don’t despair. Depending on your menu, a large cooler with ice may be a great option. If there really isn’t space, your timeline or your menu may need adjusting. This is much easier — much, MUCH easier — before you begin shopping for ingredients and cooking the food. 

#2. …and your freezer

Don’t neglect cleaning out the freezer. Start ahead of time if you can and do a chest-freezer clean-out, rotating freezer items into daily meals. When I have enough time to prepare this way, it doesn’t just clear freezer space for food prep and leftovers. I also save money on groceries! I love a little wiggle-room in my party budget in case something goes awry.

If you are lucky enough to have more than one freezer (a chest freezer and one in a fridge/freezer combo, for example), plan which freezer you will use for what.

If you plan a menu that requires the use of the freezer, factor in shelf space. If I’m pre-scooping a bunch of ice cream desserts, for example, I’ll need a lot of space. Cooling racks, freezer-safe baking pans, or freezer baskets can make great temporary shelves. If you are only freezing things for a short time, sturdy cardboard boxes can also work. 

Containers going into the freezer need to be freezer-safe. Those diagonal–ice cube cocktail glasses look cute — but not if they end up as shattered glass all over the kitchen floor. 

#3. Schedule time in for doing dishes

No, seriously. A kitchen schedule is an excellent tool to have for planning a party. It helps make sure the bread has time to rise, the drinks are chilled, the salad isn’t soggy, and the turkey is done on time.

One very important thing to include on that schedule is time to clean up and do the dishes as you go. Without scheduled time for cleanup throughout the cooking process, you’ll end up with a disaster of a time trying to clean up at the end. To say nothing of mental stress, risk of injury, running out of counter space — even running out of dishes!

It is much easier to coordinate a lot of steps in a clean space. Schedule in a few 20- or 30-minute periods for cleaning up. Along with doing dishes, clearing countertops, wiping stovetops, and a quick sweep of the floor can go a long way toward a smooth wrap-up later.