Hosting the holidays can be both overwhelming and rewarding. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving, a small winter gathering, or putting together a full feast for your whole family to celebrate the holiday, the right appliances can make all the difference. From convection ovens and double ovens to help you juggle multiple dishes, to revamped refrigerators with additional drawers and settings to keep your food fresh and beverages cool, there are several features to consider for your fall appliance upgrades. If you’re interested in exploring some of the following features, stop into your local Hallocks store and speak with our expert sales team!
Convection Ovens
Make your holiday hosting a breeze by upgrading your traditional range to a convection oven.
Convection ovens have a fan in the back of the oven cavity that circulates the hot air around the dishes you’re cooking, which not only speeds up the cooking process, but also distributes heat more evenly for that perfect bake. A convection oven makes it possible to roast a turkey, bake your side dishes, and then finish the dessert and have everything out at one time to start your meal. There are a few features to keep an eye out for if you’re in the market for an upgrade before the holiday season officially starts:
- Make sure the appliance you’re looking at is a true convection with a fan and exhaust; some ovens come with just a “convection cook” mode.
- Most ovens have a similar capacity, but if you know you’re hosting the whole family this season, make sure to ask your local Hallock’s Employee for something with a larger capacity .
- Tired of waiting for your oven to preheat? Look for a unit that has a “power preheat” or “fast preheat” to take away some of that waiting time.
- Certain models have smart connectivity where you can check your oven temperature, or time left from another room.
Double Ovens
Does your single oven get overwhelmed with Thanksgiving hosting? It might be time to consider doubling your cooking power, in the literal sense, with a double oven! These appliances feature separate oven compartments, so you can use both at the same time at different temperatures. With a double oven, you don’t have to compromise your roast’s sear for your baked casserole. Some other great benefits to upgrading to this option are:
- Keep one oven on for the main course, use the other for sides, desserts, or keeping something warm
- Just like in convection ovens, double ovens also have app connectivity to preheat remotely, or adjust the temperature mid-meal if your pie is baking a little too fast
- Some high-end double ovens even come with in-oven cameras. Perfect for when you’re in the other room with your guests, but want to check on what’s in the oven
- Most double ovens have a steam clean feature to make it a little bit easier to get your house back in order.
Revamped Refrigeration
One of the most stressful parts of hosting the holidays at your house is food prep and storage. Upgraded refrigeration features give more flexibility and efficiency when storing big platters, ingredients, drinks, or leftovers. If you’re in the market to upgrade before the holidays, these features make storing all your food easy:
- Some newer refrigeration models have an extra refrigerator drawer. This is perfect for storing appetizers, or grab-and-go items for pre-dinner snack!
- Crisp-zone or humidity controlled drawers keep your salad you prepped last night fresh and ready for serving.
- When upgrading your fridge, you may consider looking for a larger storage capacity. Thankfully, Hallock’s has large capacity refrigerators with adjustable shelving to accommodate everything this holiday season - from large platters, to bottles of wine, to extra desserts.
- Higher end refrigerator models have smart features; download the app on your phone and have in-refrigeration cameras, even alerts for forgotten items.
Beverage Centers / Wine Coolers
While the main focus of the holiday is the meal, you shouldn’t let drinks be an afterthought! It can’t be a holiday without crisp soda and perfectly chilled wine to go along with the meal you spent so much time preparing. A dedicated beverage center not only saves you room in your fridge, but keeps everything at the desired temperature. Not sure what to look for? No problem! We spoke with the team at Hallocks on what features are best to keep an eye out for in a beverage center or wine cooler:
- Dual-zone cooling is great if you have a variety of drinks; use one compartment to keep white wine chilled, and the other for sodas.
- Keep an eye out for adjustable shelving to ensure all the different sized bottles and cans fit.
- Glass doors and internal lighting mean your guests can service themselves without standing in front of an open refrigerator while the kitchen is busy with cooks!
- Undercounter or built-in designs allows for seamless integration into your entertainment area or dining room.
Upgraded Dishwasher
Undoubtedly, the most difficult aspect of hosting the holiday is the clean-up, and if your dishwasher isn’t up to the task, you could spend more time rinsing dishes in the kitchen than with your family in the living room. In addition to regular dishwasher maintenance, here are a few tips to make sure your dishwasher can handle every load with ease:
- Check if your dishwasher has a steam-clean setting. This can power through tough messes like baked-on food and help keep you out of the sink.
- Schedule your dishwasher to run while everyone’s eating! Newer models are quiet enough not to interrupt holiday toasts, and then you have clean dishes ready for dessert!
- Use your appliance app to check on the status of your current wash and set up a notification to let you know when it’s finished to keep your dinner running seamlessly.
With the right appliances in place, you can spend less time worrying about timing, temperature, storage, and cleanup and more time enjoying the good food and perfect company. Let your trusted Hallock’s experts help make this year your easiest and most enjoyable holiday yet, with upgraded appliances that suit your family and holiday needs!