Have you ever felt like a holiday was so stealthy and sneaky that it crept up behind you, tapped you on the shoulder, and yelled, “BOO!”
This year, Thanksgiving has been very, very quiet, as it sits patiently in the background, buried by tinsel, Christmas music, and holiday shopping. It seems like folks are so busy hanging wreaths and mistletoe that they’ve forgotten all about the poor neglected turkey. Well, guess what? Thanksgiving is this week!
Stop licking stamps for Christmas cards and, with the help of Home-Tech, let’s start prepping the kitchen for the big bird by getting your kitchen appliances ready to go.
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Prepared Kitchen Appliances are Happy Appliances
This is the time to check all of your kitchen appliances to make sure everything is in good working order – everything from the garbage disposal to the microwave needs to be checked and ready.
Oven
Don’t get bogged down by self-cleaning right now. You are going to get your oven dirty from cooking the Thanksgiving dinner. To prep for next year’s cookathlon, be sure to check out our blog about everything you need to know about your self-cleaning oven.
It’s better to wait until after Thanksgiving when things have calmed down and you have less to worry about. And by “less”, we mean putting up the tree, figuring out what you’re wearing to 16 holiday parties, and finding the perfect recipe for egg nog.
Fridge and Freezer
Thanksgiving is the best time of year for your fridge as it gets the most use. So, you’re going to want every square inch of space for all of the side dishes and that huge turkey. Even if it wasn’t filled with delicious cooking, make sure you keep the fridge at least two or three inches away from the wall to give it enough breathing room to perform properly.
And don’t panic if it doesn’t feel as cold as usual during the holidays. With the extra food in your fridge and people opening/closing it more often, it may take up to 24 hours for the temperature to stabilize again.
Dishwasher
As nice as seconds are, the main issue is all the dishes at the end of the meal. Running a full load on Thanksgiving is usually no problem, but be sure not to pack the dishes too tightly. Dishwashers clean dishes by spraying water over them, so the water needs to be able to flow between the dishes to clean them.
The good news is that pre-rinsing isn’t as necessary as it used to be! Modern dishwashers and detergents have improved greatly, which means you can usually skip a dish bath.
Garbage Disposal
You’re going to want to check your garbage disposal before Thanksgiving feast begins. When you do use it, be sure to have a good water flow before you turn on the disposal. Keep it going during the grinding and let if flow for a few seconds after you turn off the disposal to make sure everything is flushed from the disposal and the drain line.
As tempting as it is, don’t pour any fats, oils, vegetables, or raw meat down the disposal. It can cause some serious damage to not only your garbage disposal and/or pipes!
Check out our post if you’re curious about what is safe for your garbage disposal, and you might want to check out this tip video with advice from us to you.
A Service Agreement Means a Happier Thanksgiving
If you have a Service Agreement with Home-Tech and one of your appliances needs repaired, we urge you to give us a call now so we can get everything in your kitchen up and running before the feast. Maybe you just need an extra appliance part or a burner on the oven is on the fritz – either way, we’re here for you.