6 Baking Supplies You Should Declutter Before The Holidays

The weather outside might be frightful, but the smell of freshly baked cookies or warm cake can be so delightful. The holiday season is here again, which means it’s time to get baking. But before you set the oven to preheat, it’s best to set yourself up for success first. Here are six baking supplies you can declutter before the holidays. Get ready for more sweets and less stress. 

Expired Spices, Mixes, and Toppings

Professional organizer Ashley Stewart of OCD tells me, “When getting ready for the holidays, it is essential to be organized before the chaos starts. One thing we suggest is to go through all of your spices and check for expired dates. Make a list while you are editing so you will know what you have thrown away, and what you will need to buy.” The same rule applies to old cake mixes, icing, cans of frosting as well as sprinkles and other toppings. 

Broken Cookie Cutters

Cookie cutters aren’t always the most durable and trying to use a broken one probably means a misshapen cookie at best or a cut-up finger, at worst. So, toss any cutters that have seen better days.

Then, Stewart suggests storing your holiday cookie cutters separate from the rest of your baking supplies unless you like making snowmen sugar cookies in June. “We love to use clear shoeboxes to store all of our cookie cutters. You can keep these in the pantry up above in a place where they don’t take up real estate. And then they will be ready to grab when you need them,” says Stewart. 

Damaged Non-Stick Bakeware

Non-stick bakeware can be a game-changer, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last forever. Whether it is years old or a metal spatula was used to scrape up those snickerdoodles—cookie sheets end up taking a lot of wear-and-tear. Anything that’s scratched, chipped, or otherwise damaged needs to go. Not only can this ruin your cookies, cakes, and muffins, but it can also release toxic chemicals into your treats. 

Cracked Ceramic Dishes

Ceramic baking dishes and cake pans are great, but unfortunately, they can crack from putting them in heat that’s too high or dropping them. If you start to notice cracks, it’s crucial to replace these dishes. If they break in the oven, you don't just lose your cake, you also end up with a complicated cleaning situation. 

Old or Damaged Food Containers

There’s nothing like giving or receiving holiday treats in a themed food container. But if that container is cracked, stained, or has a top that somehow no longer fits, it probably won’t keep your food fresh. Much like fruit cake, it turns out these things have a limited shelf life. 

Anything You Don’t Really Use

Whether it’s Christmas Tree cookies or homemade Hanukkah gelt, we all have our baking specialties. So why keep things you don’t use for recipes you don't really make? Whether it’s a bundt cake pan that last saw the light of day six years ago or a wood spatula that was accidentally burned, there’s no reason to keep things you never plan on using.