Preparing Your Pesach Kitchen: A Checklist of Everything You'll Need

If you've been through even one Pesach, you know the drill — the weeks of cleaning, the kashering, the shopping lists that seem to grow longer by the hour. Whether this is your first time making Pesach or your thirtieth, having a solid checklist makes all the difference between organized calm and last-minute panic on Erev Yom Tov.

This guide covers everything you need to prepare your kitchen for Pesach — from kashering basics to the actual items you'll need for the Seder and beyond. Bookmark this page, print it out, and check things off as you go.

Step 1: Clean Before You Kasher

Before any kashering can happen, the kitchen needs a thorough cleaning. This isn't just about chometz crumbs — it's about making sure every surface, appliance, and corner is ready to be either kashered or covered for Pesach use.

Deep clean these areas:

• All countertops, including behind appliances and along the backsplash
• Oven interior, racks, and stovetop — including the drip pans and grates
• Refrigerator and freezer — remove all shelves and drawers, clean every surface
• Dishwasher interior (if you plan to kasher it — many don't use their dishwasher for Pesach)
• Sink and faucet — including the aerator and the area around the base
• Microwave interior and turntable
• Small appliances — toaster, mixer stand, can opener, anything that touched chometz
• Cabinets and drawers — wipe out and line with shelf paper
• Kitchen table and chairs — check chair joints and seat crevices

A tip from experience: start from the top of the room and work down. Clean cabinets first, then counters, then appliances, then the floor. Everything falls downward, so you only clean each surface once.

Step 2: Kashering Your Kitchen

Kashering — making chometz-contaminated surfaces and utensils kosher for Pesach use — follows specific halachic rules. The basic principle is k'bol'o kach polto: the method of kashering depends on how the item absorbed the chometz. Here's a practical breakdown:

Countertops

Stone, granite, and quartz countertops can generally be kashered by cleaning thoroughly, waiting 24 hours without hot chometz use, and then pouring boiling water (irui m'kli rishon) over every inch. Many people also cover their countertops after kashering for an extra level of caution. Wooden and laminate countertops are harder to kasher — most people cover them.

Stovetop and Grates

Gas stovetop grates should be cleaned and then libun'd — heated until they glow (or at least until a piece of paper singes on contact). The stovetop surface around the burners should be cleaned thoroughly and covered with heavy-duty aluminum foil. For glass or ceramic cooktops, the minhag varies — consult your Rav.

Oven

Run your oven's self-clean cycle if it has one — that's considered sufficient libun for most poskim. If there's no self-clean option, clean the oven thoroughly and run it at the highest temperature for an hour. Oven racks should ideally be replaced for Pesach or kashered with libun.

Sink

Stainless steel sinks can be kashered: clean thoroughly, don't use with hot chometz for 24 hours, then pour boiling water over every surface of the sink. Porcelain sinks cannot be kashered — use a sink insert or basin. Many people use a Pesach sink rack regardless of material.

Microwave

Many people don't kasher the microwave — they just use a separate one for Pesach or skip it entirely. If you want to kasher it: clean thoroughly, wait 24 hours, then place a cup of water inside and run it until the water boils and creates steam for several minutes.

Step 3: Pesach Kitchen Essentials Checklist

Now for the practical part — what do you actually need to have on hand? Here's your checklist:

Covering and Lining Supplies

• Heavy-duty aluminum foil (get more than you think — you'll use it for counters, stovetop, shelves)
• Shelf and drawer liners or contact paper
• Plastic tablecloths or vinyl covering for tables
• Sink insert or basin (if you have a porcelain sink)
• Blech or hot plate cover for Shabbos/Yom Tov

Seder Night Essentials

The Seder is the highlight of Pesach, and having the right items ready makes the night flow smoothly. You'll need:

• Seder plate (ke'arah) — from classic silver to beautiful ceramic, this is the centerpiece of the table
• Haggadahs — enough for every guest, ideally the same edition so everyone's on the same page (literally). Check our Haggadah comparison guide for help choosing.
• Matzah cover and holder — a three-pocket matzah cover for the shalosh matzos
• Elijah's cup (Kos shel Eliyahu) — a special goblet set aside for Eliyahu HaNavi
• Kiddush cups — you'll need one for each person for the Arba Kosos. Consider having extras for guests.
• Pillows or cushions for leaning (haseivah)
• Small bowls for saltwater (one per few guests)
• Wine or grape juice — enough for four cups per person (that adds up fast!)

Pesach Cookware and Utensils

Unless you kasher your year-round items (most people don't for pots and pans), you'll need a separate set:

• Pesach pots — at least one large pot for soup/cooking, one for boiling
• Frying pan
• Baking pans and cookie sheets (Pesach baking is its own art form)
• Mixing bowls
• Cutting boards
• Knives, serving utensils, spatulas, ladles
• Colander/strainer
• Can opener (the one you forgot last year)
• Pesach dish soap and sponges

Pesach Dishes and Serving

• Plates, bowls, and cups for all eight days
• Serving platters and bowls
• Flatware for the whole family plus guests
• Wine glasses or disposable cups for the Seder
• Challah/matzah board for Yom Tov meals

Step 4: Food Shopping Strategy

Pesach food shopping deserves its own plan. Prices go up, shelves empty out, and if you wait too long, your favorite Pesach cereal is gone. Here's how to approach it:

Start early. As soon as Pesach products hit the shelves (usually 3-4 weeks before), grab the staples: matzah, matzah meal, potato starch, oil, wine, grape juice, Pesach cereals, and any specialty items your family relies on.

Make a menu first. Plan your Yom Tov meals and Chol HaMoed meals before shopping. This prevents both over-buying and the 2 AM realization that you forgot eggs.

Check your Pesach storage. Many families keep Pesach items year to year — dishes, pots, tablecloths, and non-perishable food items. Do a quick inventory before you buy duplicates.

Step 5: The Final Countdown — Erev Pesach

The day before Pesach has its own set of requirements and it can be intense. Here's what needs to happen:

Bedikas Chometz (night before): The search for chometz by candlelight. Have your candle, feather, wooden spoon, and paper bag ready. Don't forget to check less obvious places — coat pockets, car, office desk, seforim bags.

Biur Chometz (morning of Erev Pesach): Burning the chometz. Many communities have designated burning spots. Bring the chometz you found during bedikah plus any remaining chometz you've set aside.

Sell your chometz: Make sure your Rav has your mechiras chometz form and that the chometz you're selling is properly sealed and put away in the designated area before the zman.

Finish cooking: Most Yom Tov cooking should be done by the time the chag starts. If Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos (as it does some years), the halachos get more complicated — consult your Rav well in advance.

Step 6: Setting the Seder Table

Give yourself time for this — a beautifully set Seder table adds to the simcha of the evening. Set out the seder plate, kiddush cups, Haggadahs, pillows for leaning, wine bottles, and matzah covers before the chag begins. Many families have the minhag of using their finest dishes, silver, and tablecloths for the Seder — this is the night we feel like royalty.

If you're looking for a new seder plate or matzah cover this year, browse our Pesach collection for beautiful options at every price point. We offer free delivery on orders over $75, and if you're in the Lakewood area, stop by Judaica Square South or Judaica Square North to see everything in person.

Final Tips

Start early, work in stages. Don't try to do everything in one week. Tackle one room or one category at a time — cabinets one day, oven the next, shopping another day.

Label everything. If you have separate Pesach and year-round items in storage, label clearly so you're not guessing next year.

Involve the family. Kids can help with age-appropriate tasks — wiping shelves, sorting Pesach dishes, even setting the Seder table. It teaches them and lightens your load.

Remember the goal. All the preparation is for a reason — to sit at the Seder table as free people, telling the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim. When it gets overwhelming (and it will), keep that in mind. The work is part of the mitzvah.

Wishing you a meaningful and kosher Pesach from all of us at Judaica Square. Check out all of our Pesach essentials and make your Seder table special this year.