5 Must-Have Tools for Holiday Entertaining

It’s 60 degrees and sunny right now, but don’t let the nice weather fool you. The holidays are just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me, you’re not even close to ready for them. Ready or not, you might already have a few events scheduled, and maybe you’re even planning to host a party yourself.

Entertaining friends and family can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work.  No one needs extra stress this time of year, but with proper planning and the right tools, hosting a holiday party can be a breeze.  Today, I’m going to share with you my top 5 tools for holiday entertaining, and I hope you find them as useful as I do!

Sharp Knives

It’s the day of your party, and you’re doing some food prep.  Maybe you’re chopping vegetables, or you’re cutting up fruit for the fabulous sangria you’re about to make. Whatever it is, you realize that once again, your knives are not quite as sharp as they should be.  This makes your task more frustrating and time-consuming, and you might end up losing a finger in the process.  Seriously.  A dull blade requires more pressure in order to cut, which makes it more likely that the blade will slip and you’ll lose control of it.  Ouch!  Solution?  I use the Sabatier Edgekeeper forged, high-carbon steel knives.  They each come with a sheath that has a sharpener built right in, so your blade is honed every time you use it.  They’ve got a knife for every occasion too, including an 8” Chef, an 8” Slicer, a 7” Santoku, a 6” Chef, a 5” Santoku, a 4.5” Fine Edge Utility, and a 3.5” Parer.  Never again will you have to worry about setting aside time to sharpen your knives, which deep down you know you’ll never get around to doing anyway.  These knives also happen to be a great value with prices starting at just $11 on Amazon.

Food Huggers

I’m not a fan of disposable plastic wrap, and let’s face it, that stuff never stays put anyway.  I don’t want to waste plastic, but I don’t want to waste food either.  So when I see a recipe that calls for a small amount of lemon juice, I either skip that ingredient or skip the recipe all together.  If you’ve dealt with this same issue, you’re going to love what Food Huggers can do for you.  Made of bpa and pthalate-free, food-grade silicone, they easily wrap around fruits and vegetables to keep them fresher longer.  I’ve come to depend on these for lemons and cucumbers, but they come in multiples sizes and can also be used on things like jars, cans, and yogurt containers.  So simple yet so brilliant, and now you have the freedom to make any recipe you want for your guests.

Lazy Susan

A lazy susan can keep your table organized while making food easily accessible to everyone.  Show off your sushi, lay out your condiments and toppings, or serve up what your guests really want:  pizza.  If you’re my husband, you’ll have one dedicated to different salsa varieties and temperatures.  It’s perfect for a fondue party too–then I call it a cheesy susan.

Buffet Server

These are amazing.  Use a buffet server / warming tray for apps, dips, entrees, or anything else you can think of.  Food is made ahead of time, and guests can serve themselves.  If you expect to have children at your event, you might consider putting out a second server just for kiddie foods.  The little ones get a kick out of having their own food station.

Pitchers

The easiest way to serve cocktails to a crowd is to make them ahead of time.  Your guests can enjoy festive drinks like Jingle Juice or Holiday Sangria, but you won’t be stuck playing bartender all night.  You can use pitchers you already have on hand, or you can find yourself some pretty holiday-themed pitchers to liven things up.