For many families, the holiday season involves constant meal planning, cooking and cleaning up messes in the kitchen. There are a few things that can make these tasks easier and less time-consuming, such as having a well-appointed kitchen, having more time and having a few extra hands to help out. However, certain large and small kitchen appliances can also make the holidays run much more smoothly so you can really enjoy your favourite festive occasions.

Here are some recommendations for the best kitchen appliances everyone needs around the holidays and holiday cooking hacks to get you into a festive mood with delicious food.

Introduce a Food Processor

Food processors are valuable small kitchen appliances around the holidays, and all year round, because they can chop, puree, grind, shred and slice pretty much any kind of food. These are durable kitchen appliances everyone needs because they can help you with everything from kneading dough to beating eggs, grinding meats, making cake batter and blending fresh juice. With a food processor in your holiday kitchen, you can significantly shorten your prep time for cooking and baking, and spend that extra time with family and friends.

Have a Wine Cellar or Beverage Centre

Wine, cocktails and beer are essentials at many holiday parties, which is why one of the best kitchen hacks is to get a wine cellar or beverage centre. These additions will help open up space in your primary refrigerator for main courses, appetizers and desserts, while also ensuring that there is always a bottle chilled and ready to be opened to celebrate the occasion.

Range Hood for Proper Ventilation

Another one of our kitchen tips for the holidays is to check your range hood and look into getting a new one if yours is old, worn out or damaged. The range hood is essential for good ventilation, plus it keeps your kitchen free of smoke and fumes. This is very important while you are spending hours in the kitchen preparing holiday meals or entertaining guests, who tend to congregate in the kitchen over time.

Range hoods also help absorb grease so that it can be removed from your kitchen easily rather than coating the other surfaces in the room, such as the cabinets and appliances. This means less clean-up time for you in the long-run and more time to spend on fun holiday traditions.

Benefits of a Built-In Microwave

Another must-have in the kitchen when cooking meals for large groups is additional counter space, but this isn’t always possible without a lengthy and costly renovation project. Instead, consider switching to a built-in microwave to free up some of the existing counter space in your kitchen and to make room for other helpful small kitchen appliances. Although built-in microwaves may require installation costs, those costs are often outweighed by the extra convenience of having more room to prepare large meals and to entertain and socialize in your kitchen.

Where to Find the Best Kitchen Appliances

As you start preparing for the holidays, plan to visit The Brick location near you to browse our selections of food processors, wine cellars, range hoods, built-in microwaves, and much more to help make your celebrations easier and more fun. We have locations in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Yukon, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, and we offer price and satisfaction guarantees to make every shopping you have experience a pleasant one.

We’re really looking forward to the holidays this year and we want you to as well with a beautifully updated kitchen that you’ll love preparing and enjoying meals in. For more home inspiration, check out our blog!