When I think about holiday entertaining, my first thought is the meal plan. I want to serve my guests a delicious meal that won’t break the bank (or me!) when preparing it. I also like to include a variety of dish options for people with allergies or food preferences. Creating multiple appetizers and dishes that are warm and ready to serve can take some planning and juggling with your appliances. Luckily there are some great small appliances to help you create a beautiful and memorable meal.
Stock up with a chest freezer
Saving money on groceries is always a win in my book and buying in bulk is a great way to save money and be prepared for holiday entertaining.
Depending on your available space, you can find the right size upright or chest freezer to store your bulk freezer items. I have both an extra fridge and upright freezer in my garage. We went with the upright style freezer strictly due to space constraints, but it works well for my family of four. I keep it nice and organized by keeping the same food items on one shelf such as one shelf for frozen snacks, one for chicken, one for beef, etc. Sometimes I even forget what’s in there so it’s a nice surprise to find a hidden gem for a meal.
Stocking up on bulk apps or meal fixings helps me stay prepared for entertaining guests over the holidays. It’s always nice to have groceries on hand for a big feast or just something quick and easy to offer for last minute entertaining.
The Instant Pot is perfect for holiday entertaining
I’m really picky when it comes to small appliances but one that always gets used is the Instant Pot. I love its versatility, it cooks both sweet and savoury, and its ability to make a meal quickly and packed full of flavour. It also makes clean up a breeze because you can cook a whole meal in one go if you want.
We have a few family favourites such as pulled chicken, chilli, and rice pudding for dessert. All three of these meals are great for entertaining as well. What’s great is that you can also cook meat and poultry from frozen if you’ve forgotten to thaw it. Dice up some tomatoes, shred some lettuce, warm up some beans, grate some cheese and add your favorite condiments and you’ve got yourself taco night.
With the holidays just around the corner, the Instant Pot can be used to make tasty mashed potatoes, savoury stuffing, and even cranberry sauce.
Drinks for holiday entertaining
In our home, we mainly drink water on a daily basis with a jug of juice thrown in sometimes for my boys. But it’s nice to have a variety of drinks to serve to guests.
It’s always fun to mix up a seasonal punch for your guests but I also like to have a variety of bubbly drinks for both adults and kids on hand. I currently have a side-by side style fridge as that’s what came with my house, and I plan on keeping it until it lives its last day. It’s not the best style for extra storage and drinks take up quite a bit of space.
A mini fridge or beverage centre are two great options to store your drinks and they come in a variety of sizes to fit any space. Keeping it well stocked gives me peace of mind that I’ll have something on hand for everyone’s tastes.
What are your favourite small appliances for holiday entertaining? Tell us in the comments below.
You can find a variety of small appliances at Best Buy online to help make holiday entertaining a breeze this season.
