4 baking supplies to declutter before the holidays – to make your baking process more efficient

With the holidays approaching, you're likely preparing your kitchen for festive baking, and streamlining this process can start with decluttering certain baking supplies to declutter before the holidays. This can ensure a more seamless baking experience and prevent any baking blunders while creating a more organized space to set the stage for stress-free holiday baking.

Whether you have broken or useless utensils or expired ingredients, it's important to review your baking kitchen utensils to ensure you use your space efficiently and avoid needing to get new items at the last minute. 

Our experts have explained the baking supplies to declutter before the holidays.

Baking supplies to declutter before the holidays

You can use this opportunity to organize your cabinets or pantry, utilizing storage solutions like clear bins, baskets, or labeled jars to organize baking supplies within cabinets and pantries. During this process, group similar items together, such as sugars, flour, chocolate chips, and nuts, making them easily accessible for holiday baking sessions.

1. Mismatched bakeware and incomplete sets

Over time, bakeware can accumulate, and you may lose track and end up with mismatched items or incomplete sets. 

Take a moment to evaluate your baking pans, sheets, and molds and discard any that are missing parts, donating any unused items. 

If you have incomplete sets of measuring cups, spoons, or other baking tools, now is the time to replace or complete these sets. We recommend these baking measuring cups, from Le Creuset.

Having a complete and organized set of tools can make your baking process more efficient, ensuring you don't have to run to the store at the last minute. 

2. Expired ingredients

Next, remove all your baking ingredients and review them, checking the expiry dates and quality. 

'It's crucial to take inventory. Sort through your baking supplies and discard anything expired or seldom used,' recommends Gowdhaman Kandasamy, director of Kitchen Altitude. 'This not only creates space but also gives you a clear idea of what you need.'

Expired spices – Check the expiration dates of any spices that you might use for baking and dispose of any that are more than one to two years old since their flavor will have faded.

Toppings – Assess your collection of sprinkles, edible glitter, and other decorative items. If you have unused or expired decorations, decluttering them will not only free up space but also make it easier to find and use the items you truly enjoy. 

'Be it sprinklers, cake toppers, or chocolate chips, old cake or cookie toppings, over time these elements become clumped or gooey due to the moisture build-up and opened packets,' explains Sunita Yousuf, creator of The Wannabe Cook. 'Even if they feel fine, it’s better to throw them out rather than use them for the holidays.' 

Outdated extracts – Extracts usually expire after two to three years, so smell them to test if they are ready to be thrown out and replace any you will need.

Chunky baking powder – Baking powder can absorb moisture and get hard over time. Check if your baking powder is clumpy or solid. If so, it's time to replace it.

Cracking food coloring – Food coloring dries up over time. If yours is cracked or dry, throw it out.

Old yeast – Active dry yeast expires after only a year or so. Test your yeast to see if it's still active and foamy when hydrated. If not, dispose of it.

'Old yeast won’t make the flour rise, leading to flatbread and dry crust. If you have a yeast that hasn't reached the expiry date but the bottle was opened months ago, you should dispose of it,' says Sunita Yousuf.

Crystallized sugar – Sugar should be soft to be good for baking, however, it can get hard and crystallized if it's been around for too long. If this is the case invest in some new sugar. Brown sugar can be softened when warmed, however, if this is not the case it has lost its usefulness. 

Expired flour – Unbleached white flour lasts around six to twelve months, while whole wheat flour lasts for only four to six months before going stale. Check its dates.

Stale baking additions – 'Check walnuts, pecans, raisins, and cranberries for expired or improperly stored nuts that have turned sour and soft or lost their flavor,' says Yama Jason, founder of House Customize. 'You can taste a small piece first, if it becomes tasteless or has poor texture, do not hesitate to throw it away.'

Clumpy cocoa powder – Dry cocoa powder will get hard and clumpy over time. Sift it to test for lumps, and replace it if necessary

3. Single-use items

Single-use items that are cluttering your kitchen drawers can accumulate and should be evaluated before the holidays. While these tools can be fun, if you find that you rarely use them, it might be time to clear some space by letting them go.

Instead, invest in multi-purpose tools that can replace several single-use ones to save you space and stay organized. For example, a high-quality stand mixer can be used for mixing, kneading dough, and even shredding meat. 

Reducing the number of items cluttering your kitchen can make the whole cooking experience simpler, making it easier to locate what you need.

4. Broken or deformed baskeware

Evaluate tools and utensils for signs it's time to replace your pans and other baking equipment, removing any items that are broken or worn out it can affect the quality of your cooking.

'Check whether the baking utensils are warped or the bottom part of the pan starts to peel off, they will lead to uneven baking with or warring results affecting the flavor and appearance of the food,' says Yama Jason. 'It is recommended to replace them with new quality pans for better baking results.'

Additionally, discard any misshapen cookie cutters that can lead to non-descript cookie shapes.

FAQs

Shop our favorite food organizers

Consolidate multiples to create a more organized space. If you have multiple bags of the same ingredient that are partially used, consolidate them in clear, vacuum-sealed containers.

Combining similar items into one container frees up space and makes it easier to track quantities so you can see when you need to replenish ingredients.