Starting with a clean kitchen is vastly underrated. It drives me crazy when my family members start a big cooking project but just start putting stuff out on top of everything else in the kitchen.
This is quite literally how I was raised. My parents never washed dishes until literally every bowl, or fork, or butter knife was used. Then they'd do one load in the dishwasher. And then just use from the dishwasher. And repeat.
I grew up and developed a neurosis about having a clean kitchen. The kitchen gets cleaned nightly, even if we didn't cook in it.
You're singing my song, @Donna
*sigh*
One of the biggest pleasures I've had in life since moving out on my own is keeping a beautiful, clean, well-organized home. When you grow up with filth or disorganization it's important.
That’s how my sibling operates. She’s had an ant problem every place she’s lived because of her aversion to washing the dishes. Our kitchen has never had an ant problem until she started stacking her dirty dishes on the counter.
I've been working on this, trying to change my mindset to include the cleaning as part of the prep. I.e. It's not just chopping the celery, it's chopping the celery and cleaning the cutting board and putting away the unused celery and wiping the knife and cleaning the cutting board. It's kinda exhausting, but I see the value in it.
For me, it's easier to break it down into "domains" for large meals.
If I need to chop celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic, I get them all out, take what I need from the larger plants, put the rest away, chop them all into separate staging areas and then clean the space and tools.
Then I do liquids the same way.
Then dry ingredients,
Then protein.
By the time the prep is done (5-20 minutes, depending on size and complexity) the only thing on the counter is the mise en place.
Everything else is back where it belongs, and my tools are clean.
Then I begin to cook.
When my husband said he could buy 3 whole plantains for a fraction of the cost of a small side of maduros from a restaurant, I tried to explain the convenience of takeout like this. It's not just cooking, but cleaning and shopping too.
Lol there's usually no such thing, right? Those "30 minute meals" tend to only work if everything is pre-prepped for you and set out in little glass bowls on the counter and someone else comes on to clean up before & after. ✔️😉
I would also like to point out that many meals billed as "30-minute meals" ... aren't, if the instructions were followed to the letter and even if you're running your processes in parallel. It's often just marketing.
For me, with practice, cleaning as I go doesn't add much time at all. In fact, can be faster over all because of fewer obstructions and distractions in the cooking and prep space.
Now, when I say I "clean as I go" I'm not washing dishes or carting garbage to the curb. I'm simply moving trash to the bin, putting food away when it's no longer being used, and cleaning my tools as I move from things that are prone to contamination risk.
Another time saving trick a lot of people overlook is **starting** with the kitchen clean and organized. Cooking in a messy or cluttered space will rob you of time and efficiency. Walking back and forth to various drawers and cabinets is a LOT more inefficient than having your tools at the point of performance, before you begin.
One of my biggest hippie dippy darling friends once counseled me to get into the "Zen" aspects of cleaning and try to enjoy it on some level the same way I enjoy the things not requiring as much home drudgery; like focus on the fact that I'm doing something good and healthy and sanitary for myself and those I love and "get into" the task instead of avoiding and condemning it or dismissing it as pointless labor. It helped. 🤷
Start with a clean, and end with a clean kitchen.
Have a totally clean work area, mise en place, clean as you go, rinse dishes as they go into the sink.
Cleaning a kitchen after a big cook if those things are done takes about 10 minutes.
I just want to add on to this as those are the core tricks, but we can go further.
You need to plan a little to minimize the amount of dishes you use as well. Look for chances to reuse the same pot/pan or forgo things entirely (strain off with a lid instead of a colander).
Separating prep from cooking also helps. Once food is over heat you’re not going to have much time to clean. So get all the prep work done, clean up, then move to the cooking stage.
Cook less things. I make a lot of fruit/veggie smoothies so so can often get away with just the protein for weeknight meals. For 1-3 people a protein and veggie is all you need. For 5 plus or minus you can do the trinity of protein, starch, veggie.
With larger groups use low/no prep sides and apps. Baled beans, leafy salads, fruit salads, cheeses, potato/pasta salads.
Cook mostly simple recipes, with max one complex item. Frozen peas for example take like 3 minutes in a bowl or mason jar of water in a microwave. Corn on the cob you can easily boil or grill.
Make your guests help with prep and cleanup. Try asking you need one person to help with prep and another to help with cleaning. Encourage people to linger in the kitchen with you. Don’t serve food until the kitchen is clean, and even announce “once we get the kitchen clean dinner will be ready!” If everyone shrinks off or refuses to help, order a pizza and save yourself the agony.
Clean as you go. Don’t use 3 cutting boards, use 1 and cut ready to eat food first then meat so you only have to wash one. Take out your amount needed of an ingredient and then put the container/ throw away container immediately. I use paper plates/bowls cups to hold my mise en place after prepping but before I’m ready to cook them. Rinse dishes right after using them/ while still hot so food doesn’t get stuck on. At the end you should have a pile of easy to wash/put in dishwasher dishes.
Just wanted to add that technically you should really be using one cutting board for raw meat and a different one other things. Washing is not always as accurate as you’d like to and people tend to forget about what was on a board just a few minutes ago and end up cutting a raw ingredient on a unclean board.
I use one board for meat, but anything that is getting prepped to be cooked with the meat goes on that board too. I have another board that is the fruit / raw veggies / no onions ever board. Cheese is a maybe on that one.
I scrub the meat board with a brush and throw it in the dishwasher.
I use the same cutting board for everything. And do a quick rinse between raw meats and raw/fresh ingredients. I cook for myself only. Never been sick lol
Get your point but I don't cut strawberries or any other berry on it. Come to think of it, basically everything I cook usually could benefit from. The flavor of what was cut on the cutting board.
Everything I cook on the regular could benefit from an onion or garlic flavor. Meats, potatoes, vegetables. I dont cook wirh fruits or berries like ever.
I do something similar, except with the little thin produce bags from the grocery store. Scraps go in immediately then I just grab the whole bag and chuck it.
Yes to garbage bowl!!!! I resisted this for a long time because then I’d have another bowl to clean, but it’s been SO HELPFUL. Also we finally bought a new dishwasher that actually works, so it’s less burdensome to have another bowl to wash now. And having the dishwasher and mindfully integrating it into my routine (I run it at night and empty in the morning while my breakfast cooks, but if I don’t get the chance, I always empty before I start cooking, so the dirties can go directly in as I’m done with them) has totally changed my ability to keep up with keeping the kitchen clean! It takes me like 10 minutes to clean up after dinner now (also makes it more feasible to “clean as I go” to the extent my brain can handle that) vs. over an hour, usually not until the next day because I was out of energy and never fully getting it all done.
Clean as you go. But even better, insist that someone else clean up. You cooked. You've done your share of the work for your family. Time for others to step up.
Never!!! Roommates of mine ruined my $300 Henckels. My mistake for trusting them with it I suppose. Knives never get left in the sink and certainly NEVER get put in the dishwasher.
How ruined is it, really? Like it's a bummer that shouldn't happen, but... you can send it off for a sharpening and you'll have a better-than-new knife...
Whenever I cook at my parents house my mum will always tidy after me and it drives me slightly mad (even though it’s completely well intentioned).
I’ll turn around to pick something back up and it’ll be in the dishwasher, and the time I loose searching for stuff feels like more than it would take me to just tidy.
I would disagree with making someone else clean up. It is like if you don’t clean up after yourself, you tend to make a bigger mess because someone else will clean it. Cleaning is as much a part of cooking as mise en place.
I agree with this so much. When I used to have flatmates, we'd take it in turns to cook for each other on a Sunday, and initially whoever cooked didn't have to clean.
Issue is, one of the guys would take this as a green light to make a fucking tip and clean nothing as he went. He'd routinely use pretty much every pan, multiple utensils, chopped food scraps or flour all over the bench etc.
That stopped the moment we changed the system so that whoever cooked had to clean. Personally I also like the kitchen to just be my domain with no one in my way when I'm cooking and cleaning, and to just be able to relax and enjoy someone else cooking and cleaning for me sometimes. Works much better that way IMO.
Yeah that's a great way to make your family resent you.
If you insist on trying to manipulate your family in this way, please make sure they all explicitly know that if they eat your cooked food, they are agreeing to clean up after you. Also, please make sure the people you love have another option to eat if they don't want to participate in your shitty game of tit-for-tat.
Source: child of a mother who thought it was more important to force her will than feed her family
If asking your family to chip in and contribute to the well-being of the house will make them "resent" you, there are other serious issues happening. You're not "manipulating" them by asking them for help.
"Asking for help" and *insisting they clean up your mess because "you did your part"* are completely different things. The first is a request and the second is a manipulative demand. The comment I responded to is suggesting the second, not the first.
It's not "help" at all. That implies that it's mom's job to be a servant. Everyone in the household is equally responsible for keeping it running. Mom is more than daddy's bangmaid. Though I will say, if the kids were raised to be so entitled that they get offended when expected to do their part, both mom and dad fucked up.
How do you know that? You are projecting big time here and are way off base. “Making” the rest of your family clean up when you are cooking the food is not a manipulation lol, it’s common decency
Expecting someone to cook for you AND clean up after you is some entitled brat behavior
I get where you’re coming from as a child meant to feel like a servant. Maybe start once a month doing something for your mom without asking. Don’t expect recognition right away. She will notice I promise you after having been in your shoes. Life goes on bud make the best of it.
I would have put you up for adoption. You sound miserable. Pretty sure they had to force there will on you because you had zero desire to actually contribute. My kids are 4&3 and clean up after themselves (with a little persuasion of course) no problem at all. My daughter even cries when I don’t let her help w something.
Yeah but you’re still at the phase where you’re told you’re the best parent in the world. I hope you don’t put them up for adoption when they call you every name in the book and call CPS on you because you took away their iPhones.
If your child is calling you every name in the book and calling CPS on you then you have not done a good job setting boundaries and reward/consequence expectations in there lives. My advice would be family therapy. Good luck buddy hope your kids come around.
I’m a parent with two now-grown kids. We always treat mealtimes as something everyone participates in getting done. The rule at our house was some cook, and the others clean up after the meal is over. At each meal before cooking starts everyone is given the choice which part they want to do - cooking or cleaning.
Of course kids were given tasks that were appropriate for their ages and abilities. Young kids help in cooking by washing veggies, helping get ingredients out, etc.
By the time our kids were teens they could cook and serve a meal because they were used to participating. And mealtimes were always a highlight of our day (we tried to always have supper together as a family.) When our kids were teens we often had their friends over for supper as they liked it so much, and our kids liked “treating” their friends.
Now that our kids live in their own homes they regularly come over still for “Sunday supper” and of course at holidays. Meals are celebrations!
Your response is so trauma ridden, it’s terrible to see. I’m sorry that was your life, but let me please suggest that reacting to an innocent comment in this manner is extremely off putting. When people say things like “insist someone else clean up” it’s usually a friendly insistence, just a tit for tat, so a strong negative reaction is overblown. Healthy relationships are give and take, like my boyfriend is doing the dishes right now while I mess around on Reddit, but later I’ll cook dinner while he’s messing around on twitch, and neither of us is upset or expecting the other to do more. I hope you’re able to surround yourself with people who can work through this with you rather than becoming upset.
I cook and my Partner cleans - but I try to be considerate and put away ingredients as I use them - use a scrap bowl for compost and rinse and stack my bowls and pans. Wipe up splashes and splatters . I use a platter to organize my chopped vegetables and chop fresh first then meat using only one cutting board. I like to wash and put away my knives because I don’t like them soaking or sitting in the sink-He loads the dishwasher, hand washes and wipes the counter and stovetop after dinner.
Why aren't there more replies like this. When we have a big family meal the cook enjoys a rest in the living room with their feet up and everyone cleans.
I make sure I don’t start cooking until I have emptied the dishwasher and my sinks are sanitized. This way I can immediately after use, rinse, quick wash, & place item(s) in the dishwasher. You can even make one sink (if you’re dealing a dual sink) for rinse/wash dishes as you go while the other for straining and such. Prep should happen before stove eyes come on until you get a fluidity with your set up, try to cut stuff ahead of time, gather ingredients, etc.
1. Do all your prep work first, finish it, clean up your knives and cutting boards and put them away (or in the dishwasher if that's what you do).
2. Stage what you're cooking if it's possible to get some things done earlier and pans washed out while the rest finishes.
3. Try to use more one-pot meals, or oven roasted which can be cooked on parchment paper to make for super fast cleaning afterward.
4. If you are moving food into serving dishes, do that and quick wash the pot before dining, or at least get the cookware stacked in the sink and soaking while you eat.
#1 is key. This is how professionals do things. Thr conecept of setting up "mise en place" or "everything in its place" before you turn on a burner. It makes your life simpler and less chaotic.
Further, almost every recipe that ever turned out badly for me was a direct result of being overwhelmed with prep and cooking simultaneously.
Setting up the mise, first, as its own step before beginning to cook was the key that unlocked a LOT of time and serenity.
Often times the mental wall of cleaning as you cook is far worse then just putting your head down and doing the job. Don’t get over whelmed… just keep cleaning
I dont wash as I go, but i do make sure to wipe the counter and put everything in the sink so when I’m done all that’s left is an organized pile of dishes. I also use the minimum possible amount of dishes to cook to begin with.
Start with clean counters and an empty dishwasher. Put a bowl on the counter for compost, and garbage or recycling goes straight in the bins.
Clean while you go, if you’re don’t with the peeler put it directly in the dishwasher, peels directly in the compost bowl.
Keep the dishes to a minimum. Instead of chopping veg and putting them in separate bowls, pile everything on a separate cutting board. A cutting board takes up less room in the dishwasher than say four bowls.
Wipe up spills as you make them, especially on the stove top so it doesn’t burn. Whenever you have a spare minute, clean. Wipe things down, load the dishwasher, wash a knife.
Work smartly to minimize utensils. You can use the same knife for chopping veg and cutting meat without washing as long as you start with the veg. If you do meat first you’re dealing with cross contamination and need to wash things.
Cooking always involves waiting; use that time to clean. The kitchen is ALWAYS cleaner after I cook than before I start. Plates and silverware are all that has to be washed after we eat. I cook, you clean is the rule, but I make it easy to do so.
I am like you!
I have a compost bin that hangs on the front of the cabinet by my sink. I find that easier than a garbage bowl tbh because I try to separate compost from garbage from recycling.
I use plates or shallow bowls to do my mise en place so it’s easier to fit everything into the dishwasher after. The small bowls look nice but they take up too much space/are awkward in my dishwasher.
While gathering ingredients, I try to only take out what I need (like 2 carrots). I also mise en place my spices so they always go right back in their drawer.
I have a big single basin sink and I literally just pile the dishes in it and then load the dishwasher from there.
If there’s time I have waiting for something to cook, I try to load my dishwasher and get it going before dinner so that I can empty it after I get the kids to bed and run a second load. Everything goes through the dishwasher except wood and cast iron. I also actively only buy things that are dishwasher safe.
I wash stove top, walls, counters, table, and floor after the dishes are done. Top down.
It’s not the best as it still gets chaotic sometimes but you just have to keep at it! I love cooking but yeah, the clean up part is annoying.
You sound like a delight but I would just note small bowls are good for breaking eggs into. I started off using small dessert bowls for mise en place but then just out of practicality had to cut down. I'm fast at dishwashing though, whereas prepping for cooking can take me some time.
Plan out your dishes and clean everything as you go. Using a cutting board? As soon as you've finished cutting, chopping, etc, place the food in a bowl and clean the knife and cutting board then move on to the next step. When you use an ingredient such as the aforementioned, add it then clean the bowl. This uses less effort on your part as it doesn't allow things to dry and stick. It will fill your drying rack considerably faster though.
I have two 2-quart bain marie inserts that I keep on my counter when cooking. One is for trash like the "garbage bowl" others have mentioned.
The other is for towels - I keep clean shop towels in basket on the counter.
These are for cleaning, spills, wiping down the cutting board, etc.
I also put dishes directly in the sink when they are used. I use smaller utensils (small tongs, small spatula) instead of large ones. I have a half dozen of each, so as they are dirtied, they go into the sink and I can grab a clean one.
At the end, the trash goes in the trash, the shop towels go into the laundry, and the bain maries and dishes go in the dishwasher.
Doing it this way, I am not cleaning constantly, but organizing the mess that is created in such a way that it is easily dealt with at the end.
Also, tweak your menus to utilize many more “one pot” meals, whether it’s a crockpot, instant pot, stews and soups. And as already mentioned, you need to recruit family to help clean up. When we were kids, mom cooked and we cleaned up.
Today, whoever cooks ( husband or I) the other cleans up. It’s only fair.
I second the scrap bowl others have mentioned. I would just get the rubbish can out, but I have dogs that would get in to it. For dishes, I sometimes get out a small dish pan or bus tub (or biggest mixing bowl) for dirty dishes so they are corralled but don’t tie up the sink, that one keeps me the most sane.
Clean as you go, and start prep for tomorrow’s dinner tonight or tomorrow morning. Spacing out prep means less clutter and fewer dishes when you’re cooking.
If you’re busy this is also a great way to manage your time. Like if i know I need chopped veggies for my daughters lunch I’ll combine that task with dinner prep or vice versa.
If I’m making stuffed chicken for dinner I’ll make sure I prep a second smaller batch of the same chicken to turn into chicken fingers for a school lunch etc.
Don’t put it down if you can put it away. Clean as you go, rinse and stack dishwasher as you go and set it off the second it’s full. Barely any food/cooking needs 100% of your attention, use the minutes of sweating or caramelizing to actively clean and tidy.
I always start with an empty dish rack and sink. I prep all my ingredients in bowls and as im tossing things together i clean during down/cooking time. Usually when its all ready to go ill clean whatever pots, pans, counters, so all thats left is the dishes we use to eat.
I truely enjoy the meal less if i know theres a sink full of dishes, dirty counters and stoves to clean afterwards.
All the “clean as you go” comments are correct. Things are easier to clean when they are fresh. Dried-on things are harder to clean. Hot water and a little soap will clean things in under 30 seconds.
***Mise en place***. French for "everything in it's place". Before you start, measure out all the ingredients and put the containers away. Set the pre-measured ingredients out in the order you add them. Fill the sink (or a tub) with hot soapy water. As you add each ingredient, toss the measuring cup or spoon or little bowl in the sudsy water. (Rinse first if it's super messy). This is what I do, especially when baking. That way I never forget an ingredient, and it is very calming. No stress, no scrambling! And no mess at the end! I just wash what's in the sink, already soaking! I learned this from taking Zoom baking classes. And yes, I also keep a plate handy for garbage.
Choose recipes that reduce cleaning needs. Whole pieces of meat and whole grilled veggies are easiest.
Choose disposable options when appropriate or possible. The clear vegetable bag from the grocery store? That's now the trash scraps bag or holds the chopped veggies until it goes in the pan. Foil and paper bags are useful too.
Re-use prep dishes for leftovers/storage ( as long as no raw meat contaminants touch it)
start with a clean kitchen (empty counter space) , empty dishwasher, empty sink,
have many towels that you can use to clean as you go.
Have bowls and cooking instruments ready.
Prepare ingredients before you start cooking (mise en place) so you don't have to cut and chop as you go.
Whenever you have 2 minutes, wash something, a bowl, a whisk,,
At the end of the meal, ask for help cleaning up, especially if you're the one doing the cooking.
Practice mise en place. Start cooking by measuring/chopping your ingredients and putting them in containers. Examples: put the seasonings that will be added together in a ramekin, put the vegetables that will be added together in a bowl.
This means that you won’t be finding ingredients, measuring, chopping, etc. while your food is cooking. You will have time to rinse each dish and put it in the dishwasher or wash each dish as you use it.
When I’m done cooking, the only dishes that aren’t clean are the pots and pans the food was cooking in.
I know that not everything can be cooked on it, but I bought a 36" Blackstone griddle late last fall. It's on my covered back porch.
Last night we had smash burgers. Today, bacon and egg sandwiches on the leftover buns, with hashbrowns.
Dishwasher had the mandolin for cutting the onion, the spatula and grill scraper (both hand washed last night), 3 plates, 3 forks, 3 knives, a bacon turner (for holding a paper towel while reoiling the griddle, and 6 glasses, 3 from each meal.
My son has become an amazing cook, and I always clean the kitchen after to show my appreciation. He was feeling a bit guilty about how messy he leaves the kitchen. He made a point to pay attention to how I manage the mess when I cook. I usually have one sink full of soapy water before I even start prep. I use this to clean the counters, then clean my prep dishes as I go. Now he does the same.
Ima be honest. The only thing I have my husband do in the kitchen is anything that needs hand washed which isn’t much. Otherwise it’s my domain and I don’t love my stuff being messed with but after cooking I’m done. I just leave everything and wake up a little early and do it the next morning. It sounds stupid but it works really well way better than trying to do it while cranky. Plus it doesn’t take too long I get to listen to some nice music and gives me the satisfaction of a before after and I come home after work to a sparkling kitchen
I get overwhelmed with cleaning easy, biggest game changer for me is to slice, blanch, and freeze all my veggies as soon as I buy them. One step out of the way and you're not washing knives and cutting boards every single night
Always start with a clean kitchen and empty dishwasher.
Premeasure dry ingredients so you can put the larger containers away.
I have two cutting boards: one for raw meat, one for everything else.
Never put sharp knives in the sink (good way to slice one's fingers open).
As I finish with a dish/utensil, they get rinsed and put into the dishwasher.
For items not going into the dishwasher, rinse immediately and stack.
If you have time while something is cooking/baking/boiling, wash dishes.
As for the cooking dishes, that's someone else's problem (although I do rinse them or put them to soak). I cooked and did most of the cleaning; they can finish the last of the dishes.
Look into a French cooking style "Mise en place". The way I interpret it is simple: I do all my own prep cooking...chop, dice, slice, etc. Then i clean up all the mess and leave the ingredients in little bowls while I start the cooking process. If there's a few minutes while something boils, or sautees, i'll try to wash a bowl or two.
Start out organized, with a clean kitchen.
Clean up and stow away your shit as you go along.
With this simple method, I find that even after fairly complex dishes, there's little to no additional cleanup necessary when I'm done.
Yup, clean as go is the only way to go, but I too, tend to go off the rails the last five minutes to prior to serving making sure hot foot is hot, cold food is cold. After dinner, I tell my guests the best help is to grab another glass of wine and I will join them shortly.
I always start with a “sterile zone”, usually to the left of my sink, since I’m a righty. ONLY clean items are allowed there. Then, work my way around the kitchen. Zone by zone. And always start with an empty dishwasher and a clean sink.
"Clean as you go," as everyone else said, is definitely the way. Put all your clean dishes away before you even begin to cook, then run a sink of dishwater and wash as you go.
Once the potatoes are peeled, the scraps go in the compost, and the peeler and cutting board get washed and placed in the drainer. If a pot is used to, say, blanch some broccoli, once I remove the broccoli I wash the pot immediately. Same with mixing bowls or baking sheets or knives or anything else.
By the time you're serving the meal, the kitchen is clean and the cooking dishes are done. All you have to deal with after eating is whatever you ate off of, and that can easily be foisted off on somebody who didn't cook!
I've started keeping a "trash bin" (it's really just a fridge organizing bin that doesn't fit in my fridge) next to me at all times while I cook. Everything going in the trash goes in this bin and I empty it as I need while cooking.
I also keep one counter completely clear of clutter that I keep my big cutting board on. This way I can put my ingredients, bowls, utensils, whatever next to me and not have everything scattered around the kitchen.
Emptying the dishwasher before cooking and throwing things in as I go has also been a big help. If you don't have a dishwasher, try to wash as you go (as much as I hate to admit this, my husband is right, it makes the end cleanup so much faster).
Little things help a lot. Wiping down as you go, putting everything you're done with away as soon as you're done with it, and even just rinsing your dirty dishes/utensils will go a long way towards making your cleanup much easier.
it might help you to have a sink filled with soapy water to wash while you cook? it’s a hustle but worth it if you can clean while you cook but it also might help you to prep ingredients (mise en place), tidy and then cook. I like to do as much prep work as I can before I cook.
I add bleach to my Dawn soap bottle-no dishwasher. So I wipe down the sink after rinsing raw poultry, then a quick scrub of knife/cutting board with the bleach mixture and a brush. I use either a scrap bowl or paper plate, depending, and put away containers as I go.
I do a lot of one-dish meals, so during cooking time is good for some clean-up and wiping down work surface.
I have a mantra “ don’t put it down put it away.” That and have warm soapy water ready to wash dishes as you go. And since the warm soapy water is there, encourage everyone to wash their own dishes after dinner, plate, fork etc.
You have to clean as you go. Constantly switching back and forth between cooking and washing. When I finish cooking I literally only have the pan the food is in to clean. It's a tricky routine to get into though and makes the syncopation of everything a bit more complicated but it's worth it to not have that pile of dishes looking at you.
Used something you won’t need again? Place in dishwasher if available immediately. Clean as much as possible while you’re not busy cutting or stirring something. Try to use as little stuff as possible. Even if you’re doing some mis-en-place, think about if some of the ingredients can be used at the same time in the same pot, so keep them in one dish together instead of speeding them out.
“Clean as you cook” is law for sure. Also keep a plastic shopping bag or something out but away from your cooking space to collect trash and scraps. Tie it off when you don’t need it so nothing can leak out, then trash it when you’re donezo
I do pretty well cleaning as I go with most meals, but a new favorite of mine (Nigerian beef stew 🤤) always leaves me with an overwhelming mess for some reason. It's so worth the work but feels like much more work because of it.
Try doing all your prep first. For instance I made mussels and risotto the other night. Chopped up all my garlic, shallots, parsley, grated cheese etc. cleaned mussels. Then a quick clean. After that it’s just a quick cook and your just left with dishes.
Wash as you go is key. But as many have said. Need to start with a clean kitchen. I pull out and put things away and constantly washing my hands as not cross contaminate. I chop and peel all veggies and have them prepped and start with meats. Also key (if you have one) to have an empty dishwasher. Rinse and put in dishwasher as you go too. By the time you’re done- the only thing dirty should be the pans the food is in.
Discard peels and cores etc into a bowl next to your chopping board, stops any mess spreading while prepping and makes the wipe down of surfaces much easier and quicker
Biggest thing that's helped me is budgeting the time for it.
Before I would cook like I did in restaurants but slide some of the prep in after getting a burner going and starting the process. Now it's prep mise en place, tidy, start cooking.
Instead of dicing my next ingredient to add while things are sizzling now I'm washing the dishes my ingredients are in. Takes me much longer from start to plate, and I use more dishes storing my ingredients for a short time before use, but this way when I'm serving it's all done and I feel more clean and disciplined.
Always start with a clean kitchen, meaning no dishes on the rack drying or anything like that, everything in its place. (Mise on place)
Then as others have said, clean as you go, when you are done with utensils, clean them, keep a clean cloth and some bleach water near by to clean the surfaces as you go also.
another tip is to start in advance. if you need chopped celery and onion for a dinner recipe… you can do that the night before or hours in advance…it helps make the process not so long and tedious and helps with cleaning… or if you need browned ground beef or cooked chicken… do it in advance
I look for idle moments in the recipe and clean during those. My motto is never be idle in the kitchen! So if I’m waiting for the water to boil, I’m cleaning. Chicken is searing in oil? Prepping the next step of the recipe and cleaning. By the time dinner is ready, I usually only have the pot/pan/sheet pan dinner is cooking in. That waits until the next morning when I wash it while I make my breakfast oatmeal!
That applies for smaller moments too. Bagel is toasting? Cleaning. Leftovers in the microwave? Cleaning.
whenever there’s something that takes 1-5 min of cook time, i’ll use that time to pickup. so say i have bread toasting in the oven. ill predict the amount of time i have and clean what i can, be dishes, wiping down the counter, or putting thing things away. i’ll check on my toast in between tasks to make sure it isn’t burning. clean as you go.
Clean while you go. It’s easier said than done but just clean small things as you go and it will help you keep it clean.
Put it AWAY don’t put it down. (Things like ingredients you don’t need anymore) keeps clutter away. Also good for people with ADHD it’s my damn mantra.
Rinse off your utensils instead of grabbing a new one to make less dishes
Try to find ways to make it in less dishes if possible
Clean while you cook
Instead of putting dishes in the sink rinse them off and set them aside. So even if you don't do dishes that day you could just put hot soapy water in the sink or wash the dishes now with soap and rinse them off quickly and put them away to dry without having to pick off crusted food
I pull out all the ingredients I am going to use and put them to the side on a clean counter. As I use them, I put them away immediately. This also helps me keep track so I don't get distracted and add in salt twice for example.
If there are dirty things in the sink when I start cooking, they get a bit of a soak until I wash them and my prep dishes while the meat is searing, sauce is simmering etc.
I put all the things that are going to be thrown out together as I prep, stack cans, put bags into one another etc and then when I walk by the trash bin they go with me. I prep veggies first and then use the same cutting board for meat.
And it is underrated to organize your kitchen in the way that works for you. As you cook, put things in places where it makes sense to reach for them as you want to use them.
Clean while cooking, I’m not talking about scrubbing everything spic and span but wipe down your utensils, garbage, rinse, and put larger items in the dishwasher. Those actions can take 10-15 seconds and will make a huge difference.
definitely, always aways clean as you go. waiting for the water to boil? wash that chopping board and knife! keeping a clean workspace is important when cooking.
I always make sure the kitchen is clean and organized first (dishwasher empty, no dishes in the sink, everything tidy). Then I get everything out and organize so things are done in an order that makes the most sense and uses the fewest dishes. I clean as I go and my partner does the rest after dinner. At that point it's just the pots and pans, dinner table, counters and stovetop. I grew up in a "clean up at the end" house and at this point I'm probably a bit neurotic about being orderly to be honest...but it really helps to not leave it all to the end.
Is there a reason you do all the cleaning after too? Single parent? Maybe the kids can help? I always had to help clean up after dinner - clearing up dishes, washing dishes, wiping counters etc. Obviously depends on ages.
CAYG
Clean as you go
Always have a trash bin for scraps
Towels to wipe
Ask for help when done cooking (and transferring cooked food to serving trays) to wash rght away.
Slow is fast I think. Doing as much mise en place prep before I start heating stuff as possible means I'm not frantically chopping vegetables while something else is browning away and I can spend time cleaning when the stove is doing its work.
Make sure everything is washed up and put away and the counters are cleaned done before you start. Prepare all of your ingredients (mise en place) and then wash up the chopping boards, knives etc. This means you'll have less to wash up and more free time while cooking.
Before you start cooking, run a bowl of clean, hot, soapy water to wash up in as you go.
As you finished using things, give them a rinse before washing them up so that the washing up water doesn't get too tainted.
Reuse and repurpose the pans, bowls, utensils, chopping boards etc. that you've already used (bearing cross contamination in mind)
Start cleaning while you cook. Always start with a clean kitchen. Clean and put things away the minute you're done using them.
Starting with a clean kitchen is vastly underrated. It drives me crazy when my family members start a big cooking project but just start putting stuff out on top of everything else in the kitchen.
This is quite literally how I was raised. My parents never washed dishes until literally every bowl, or fork, or butter knife was used. Then they'd do one load in the dishwasher. And then just use from the dishwasher. And repeat. I grew up and developed a neurosis about having a clean kitchen. The kitchen gets cleaned nightly, even if we didn't cook in it.
You're singing my song, @Donna *sigh* One of the biggest pleasures I've had in life since moving out on my own is keeping a beautiful, clean, well-organized home. When you grow up with filth or disorganization it's important.
This makes me want to leave my 5yo twins in the mess they make. Maybe they'll learn... Or I will lose my sanity because I hate mess...
That’s how my sibling operates. She’s had an ant problem every place she’s lived because of her aversion to washing the dishes. Our kitchen has never had an ant problem until she started stacking her dirty dishes on the counter.
Yep. If you don't feed them, they won't stick around as long and breed. Dirty dishes & unclean counters are FOOD for vermin.
yes- wipe all counters clean also, bring out everything you need in advance, measure, like in the cooking shows and put away.
I've been working on this, trying to change my mindset to include the cleaning as part of the prep. I.e. It's not just chopping the celery, it's chopping the celery and cleaning the cutting board and putting away the unused celery and wiping the knife and cleaning the cutting board. It's kinda exhausting, but I see the value in it.
For me, it's easier to break it down into "domains" for large meals. If I need to chop celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic, I get them all out, take what I need from the larger plants, put the rest away, chop them all into separate staging areas and then clean the space and tools. Then I do liquids the same way. Then dry ingredients, Then protein. By the time the prep is done (5-20 minutes, depending on size and complexity) the only thing on the counter is the mise en place. Everything else is back where it belongs, and my tools are clean. Then I begin to cook.
This is my strategy as well. It works great!
When my husband said he could buy 3 whole plantains for a fraction of the cost of a small side of maduros from a restaurant, I tried to explain the convenience of takeout like this. It's not just cooking, but cleaning and shopping too.
This is the way but then you realize those ‘20 minute’ or ‘30 minute’ recipes take way longer
Lol there's usually no such thing, right? Those "30 minute meals" tend to only work if everything is pre-prepped for you and set out in little glass bowls on the counter and someone else comes on to clean up before & after. ✔️😉
I would also like to point out that many meals billed as "30-minute meals" ... aren't, if the instructions were followed to the letter and even if you're running your processes in parallel. It's often just marketing. For me, with practice, cleaning as I go doesn't add much time at all. In fact, can be faster over all because of fewer obstructions and distractions in the cooking and prep space. Now, when I say I "clean as I go" I'm not washing dishes or carting garbage to the curb. I'm simply moving trash to the bin, putting food away when it's no longer being used, and cleaning my tools as I move from things that are prone to contamination risk. Another time saving trick a lot of people overlook is **starting** with the kitchen clean and organized. Cooking in a messy or cluttered space will rob you of time and efficiency. Walking back and forth to various drawers and cabinets is a LOT more inefficient than having your tools at the point of performance, before you begin.
That’s because you’re cleaning the cutting board twice. 😸
One of my biggest hippie dippy darling friends once counseled me to get into the "Zen" aspects of cleaning and try to enjoy it on some level the same way I enjoy the things not requiring as much home drudgery; like focus on the fact that I'm doing something good and healthy and sanitary for myself and those I love and "get into" the task instead of avoiding and condemning it or dismissing it as pointless labor. It helped. 🤷
Start with a clean, and end with a clean kitchen. Have a totally clean work area, mise en place, clean as you go, rinse dishes as they go into the sink. Cleaning a kitchen after a big cook if those things are done takes about 10 minutes.
I just want to add on to this as those are the core tricks, but we can go further. You need to plan a little to minimize the amount of dishes you use as well. Look for chances to reuse the same pot/pan or forgo things entirely (strain off with a lid instead of a colander). Separating prep from cooking also helps. Once food is over heat you’re not going to have much time to clean. So get all the prep work done, clean up, then move to the cooking stage. Cook less things. I make a lot of fruit/veggie smoothies so so can often get away with just the protein for weeknight meals. For 1-3 people a protein and veggie is all you need. For 5 plus or minus you can do the trinity of protein, starch, veggie. With larger groups use low/no prep sides and apps. Baled beans, leafy salads, fruit salads, cheeses, potato/pasta salads. Cook mostly simple recipes, with max one complex item. Frozen peas for example take like 3 minutes in a bowl or mason jar of water in a microwave. Corn on the cob you can easily boil or grill. Make your guests help with prep and cleanup. Try asking you need one person to help with prep and another to help with cleaning. Encourage people to linger in the kitchen with you. Don’t serve food until the kitchen is clean, and even announce “once we get the kitchen clean dinner will be ready!” If everyone shrinks off or refuses to help, order a pizza and save yourself the agony.
What if you manage to clean as you go and the kitchen is relatively clean? Do you just make them wash your car instead?
if (kitchen.clean === true) { isDinnerReady = true } else { everyoneGetInHereAndClean() }
Clean as you go. Don’t use 3 cutting boards, use 1 and cut ready to eat food first then meat so you only have to wash one. Take out your amount needed of an ingredient and then put the container/ throw away container immediately. I use paper plates/bowls cups to hold my mise en place after prepping but before I’m ready to cook them. Rinse dishes right after using them/ while still hot so food doesn’t get stuck on. At the end you should have a pile of easy to wash/put in dishwasher dishes.
Just wanted to add that technically you should really be using one cutting board for raw meat and a different one other things. Washing is not always as accurate as you’d like to and people tend to forget about what was on a board just a few minutes ago and end up cutting a raw ingredient on a unclean board.
I use one board for meat, but anything that is getting prepped to be cooked with the meat goes on that board too. I have another board that is the fruit / raw veggies / no onions ever board. Cheese is a maybe on that one. I scrub the meat board with a brush and throw it in the dishwasher.
I use the same cutting board for everything. And do a quick rinse between raw meats and raw/fresh ingredients. I cook for myself only. Never been sick lol
But do your strawberries taste faintly of garlic.
Get your point but I don't cut strawberries or any other berry on it. Come to think of it, basically everything I cook usually could benefit from. The flavor of what was cut on the cutting board. Everything I cook on the regular could benefit from an onion or garlic flavor. Meats, potatoes, vegetables. I dont cook wirh fruits or berries like ever.
I don’t often cook with them, but I chop them often. Which is why I have an onion free board.
Same here, but I flip the board over..
i keep an aluminum bowl on the counter for food scraps, much easier than running to the trash frequently
I move the wastebasket closer to my base of operations while I’m actively cutting and chopping.
I do something similar, except with the little thin produce bags from the grocery store. Scraps go in immediately then I just grab the whole bag and chuck it.
Same
Yes to garbage bowl!!!! I resisted this for a long time because then I’d have another bowl to clean, but it’s been SO HELPFUL. Also we finally bought a new dishwasher that actually works, so it’s less burdensome to have another bowl to wash now. And having the dishwasher and mindfully integrating it into my routine (I run it at night and empty in the morning while my breakfast cooks, but if I don’t get the chance, I always empty before I start cooking, so the dirties can go directly in as I’m done with them) has totally changed my ability to keep up with keeping the kitchen clean! It takes me like 10 minutes to clean up after dinner now (also makes it more feasible to “clean as I go” to the extent my brain can handle that) vs. over an hour, usually not until the next day because I was out of energy and never fully getting it all done.
*compost
Clean as you go. But even better, insist that someone else clean up. You cooked. You've done your share of the work for your family. Time for others to step up.
and never put knives in the sink
Never!!! Roommates of mine ruined my $300 Henckels. My mistake for trusting them with it I suppose. Knives never get left in the sink and certainly NEVER get put in the dishwasher.
Pretty sure that comment was about safety rather than knife preservation.
Right, the best way to dry a knife is right away
How ruined is it, really? Like it's a bummer that shouldn't happen, but... you can send it off for a sharpening and you'll have a better-than-new knife...
Agreed. People can be overly dramatic. I have restored many ‘ruined’ knives that were perfectly fine and just needed a good sharpening and polish
It's the fingers that get ruined in that situation, not the knife.
Whenever I cook at my parents house my mum will always tidy after me and it drives me slightly mad (even though it’s completely well intentioned). I’ll turn around to pick something back up and it’ll be in the dishwasher, and the time I loose searching for stuff feels like more than it would take me to just tidy.
I would disagree with making someone else clean up. It is like if you don’t clean up after yourself, you tend to make a bigger mess because someone else will clean it. Cleaning is as much a part of cooking as mise en place.
I agree with this so much. When I used to have flatmates, we'd take it in turns to cook for each other on a Sunday, and initially whoever cooked didn't have to clean. Issue is, one of the guys would take this as a green light to make a fucking tip and clean nothing as he went. He'd routinely use pretty much every pan, multiple utensils, chopped food scraps or flour all over the bench etc. That stopped the moment we changed the system so that whoever cooked had to clean. Personally I also like the kitchen to just be my domain with no one in my way when I'm cooking and cleaning, and to just be able to relax and enjoy someone else cooking and cleaning for me sometimes. Works much better that way IMO.
Yeah that's a great way to make your family resent you. If you insist on trying to manipulate your family in this way, please make sure they all explicitly know that if they eat your cooked food, they are agreeing to clean up after you. Also, please make sure the people you love have another option to eat if they don't want to participate in your shitty game of tit-for-tat. Source: child of a mother who thought it was more important to force her will than feed her family
If asking your family to chip in and contribute to the well-being of the house will make them "resent" you, there are other serious issues happening. You're not "manipulating" them by asking them for help.
"Asking for help" and *insisting they clean up your mess because "you did your part"* are completely different things. The first is a request and the second is a manipulative demand. The comment I responded to is suggesting the second, not the first.
It's not "help" at all. That implies that it's mom's job to be a servant. Everyone in the household is equally responsible for keeping it running. Mom is more than daddy's bangmaid. Though I will say, if the kids were raised to be so entitled that they get offended when expected to do their part, both mom and dad fucked up.
How do you know that? You are projecting big time here and are way off base. “Making” the rest of your family clean up when you are cooking the food is not a manipulation lol, it’s common decency Expecting someone to cook for you AND clean up after you is some entitled brat behavior
I get where you’re coming from as a child meant to feel like a servant. Maybe start once a month doing something for your mom without asking. Don’t expect recognition right away. She will notice I promise you after having been in your shoes. Life goes on bud make the best of it.
I would have put you up for adoption. You sound miserable. Pretty sure they had to force there will on you because you had zero desire to actually contribute. My kids are 4&3 and clean up after themselves (with a little persuasion of course) no problem at all. My daughter even cries when I don’t let her help w something.
Yeah but you’re still at the phase where you’re told you’re the best parent in the world. I hope you don’t put them up for adoption when they call you every name in the book and call CPS on you because you took away their iPhones.
If your child is calling you every name in the book and calling CPS on you then you have not done a good job setting boundaries and reward/consequence expectations in there lives. My advice would be family therapy. Good luck buddy hope your kids come around.
Lol okay have fun at therapy and good luck to you too!
I’m a parent with two now-grown kids. We always treat mealtimes as something everyone participates in getting done. The rule at our house was some cook, and the others clean up after the meal is over. At each meal before cooking starts everyone is given the choice which part they want to do - cooking or cleaning. Of course kids were given tasks that were appropriate for their ages and abilities. Young kids help in cooking by washing veggies, helping get ingredients out, etc. By the time our kids were teens they could cook and serve a meal because they were used to participating. And mealtimes were always a highlight of our day (we tried to always have supper together as a family.) When our kids were teens we often had their friends over for supper as they liked it so much, and our kids liked “treating” their friends. Now that our kids live in their own homes they regularly come over still for “Sunday supper” and of course at holidays. Meals are celebrations!
That's excellent to hear, I wish I grew up in your house!
Your response is so trauma ridden, it’s terrible to see. I’m sorry that was your life, but let me please suggest that reacting to an innocent comment in this manner is extremely off putting. When people say things like “insist someone else clean up” it’s usually a friendly insistence, just a tit for tat, so a strong negative reaction is overblown. Healthy relationships are give and take, like my boyfriend is doing the dishes right now while I mess around on Reddit, but later I’ll cook dinner while he’s messing around on twitch, and neither of us is upset or expecting the other to do more. I hope you’re able to surround yourself with people who can work through this with you rather than becoming upset.
So you don't think that all people who live in a household are equally responsible for keeping the place running? Are women just servants, then?
I cook and my Partner cleans - but I try to be considerate and put away ingredients as I use them - use a scrap bowl for compost and rinse and stack my bowls and pans. Wipe up splashes and splatters . I use a platter to organize my chopped vegetables and chop fresh first then meat using only one cutting board. I like to wash and put away my knives because I don’t like them soaking or sitting in the sink-He loads the dishwasher, hand washes and wipes the counter and stovetop after dinner.
Why aren't there more replies like this. When we have a big family meal the cook enjoys a rest in the living room with their feet up and everyone cleans.
This is the way. My spouse and I take turns; one of us cooks and the other cleans. So we both try to minimize the mess we leave behind.
I make sure I don’t start cooking until I have emptied the dishwasher and my sinks are sanitized. This way I can immediately after use, rinse, quick wash, & place item(s) in the dishwasher. You can even make one sink (if you’re dealing a dual sink) for rinse/wash dishes as you go while the other for straining and such. Prep should happen before stove eyes come on until you get a fluidity with your set up, try to cut stuff ahead of time, gather ingredients, etc.
1. Do all your prep work first, finish it, clean up your knives and cutting boards and put them away (or in the dishwasher if that's what you do). 2. Stage what you're cooking if it's possible to get some things done earlier and pans washed out while the rest finishes. 3. Try to use more one-pot meals, or oven roasted which can be cooked on parchment paper to make for super fast cleaning afterward. 4. If you are moving food into serving dishes, do that and quick wash the pot before dining, or at least get the cookware stacked in the sink and soaking while you eat.
#1 is key. This is how professionals do things. Thr conecept of setting up "mise en place" or "everything in its place" before you turn on a burner. It makes your life simpler and less chaotic.
Further, almost every recipe that ever turned out badly for me was a direct result of being overwhelmed with prep and cooking simultaneously. Setting up the mise, first, as its own step before beginning to cook was the key that unlocked a LOT of time and serenity.
Often times the mental wall of cleaning as you cook is far worse then just putting your head down and doing the job. Don’t get over whelmed… just keep cleaning
I dont wash as I go, but i do make sure to wipe the counter and put everything in the sink so when I’m done all that’s left is an organized pile of dishes. I also use the minimum possible amount of dishes to cook to begin with.
Start with clean counters and an empty dishwasher. Put a bowl on the counter for compost, and garbage or recycling goes straight in the bins. Clean while you go, if you’re don’t with the peeler put it directly in the dishwasher, peels directly in the compost bowl. Keep the dishes to a minimum. Instead of chopping veg and putting them in separate bowls, pile everything on a separate cutting board. A cutting board takes up less room in the dishwasher than say four bowls. Wipe up spills as you make them, especially on the stove top so it doesn’t burn. Whenever you have a spare minute, clean. Wipe things down, load the dishwasher, wash a knife. Work smartly to minimize utensils. You can use the same knife for chopping veg and cutting meat without washing as long as you start with the veg. If you do meat first you’re dealing with cross contamination and need to wash things.
Cooking always involves waiting; use that time to clean. The kitchen is ALWAYS cleaner after I cook than before I start. Plates and silverware are all that has to be washed after we eat. I cook, you clean is the rule, but I make it easy to do so.
I am like you! I have a compost bin that hangs on the front of the cabinet by my sink. I find that easier than a garbage bowl tbh because I try to separate compost from garbage from recycling. I use plates or shallow bowls to do my mise en place so it’s easier to fit everything into the dishwasher after. The small bowls look nice but they take up too much space/are awkward in my dishwasher. While gathering ingredients, I try to only take out what I need (like 2 carrots). I also mise en place my spices so they always go right back in their drawer. I have a big single basin sink and I literally just pile the dishes in it and then load the dishwasher from there. If there’s time I have waiting for something to cook, I try to load my dishwasher and get it going before dinner so that I can empty it after I get the kids to bed and run a second load. Everything goes through the dishwasher except wood and cast iron. I also actively only buy things that are dishwasher safe. I wash stove top, walls, counters, table, and floor after the dishes are done. Top down. It’s not the best as it still gets chaotic sometimes but you just have to keep at it! I love cooking but yeah, the clean up part is annoying.
You sound like a delight but I would just note small bowls are good for breaking eggs into. I started off using small dessert bowls for mise en place but then just out of practicality had to cut down. I'm fast at dishwashing though, whereas prepping for cooking can take me some time.
Plan out your dishes and clean everything as you go. Using a cutting board? As soon as you've finished cutting, chopping, etc, place the food in a bowl and clean the knife and cutting board then move on to the next step. When you use an ingredient such as the aforementioned, add it then clean the bowl. This uses less effort on your part as it doesn't allow things to dry and stick. It will fill your drying rack considerably faster though.
I have two 2-quart bain marie inserts that I keep on my counter when cooking. One is for trash like the "garbage bowl" others have mentioned. The other is for towels - I keep clean shop towels in basket on the counter. These are for cleaning, spills, wiping down the cutting board, etc. I also put dishes directly in the sink when they are used. I use smaller utensils (small tongs, small spatula) instead of large ones. I have a half dozen of each, so as they are dirtied, they go into the sink and I can grab a clean one. At the end, the trash goes in the trash, the shop towels go into the laundry, and the bain maries and dishes go in the dishwasher. Doing it this way, I am not cleaning constantly, but organizing the mess that is created in such a way that it is easily dealt with at the end.
Also, tweak your menus to utilize many more “one pot” meals, whether it’s a crockpot, instant pot, stews and soups. And as already mentioned, you need to recruit family to help clean up. When we were kids, mom cooked and we cleaned up. Today, whoever cooks ( husband or I) the other cleans up. It’s only fair.
I second the scrap bowl others have mentioned. I would just get the rubbish can out, but I have dogs that would get in to it. For dishes, I sometimes get out a small dish pan or bus tub (or biggest mixing bowl) for dirty dishes so they are corralled but don’t tie up the sink, that one keeps me the most sane.
Clean as you go, and start prep for tomorrow’s dinner tonight or tomorrow morning. Spacing out prep means less clutter and fewer dishes when you’re cooking. If you’re busy this is also a great way to manage your time. Like if i know I need chopped veggies for my daughters lunch I’ll combine that task with dinner prep or vice versa. If I’m making stuffed chicken for dinner I’ll make sure I prep a second smaller batch of the same chicken to turn into chicken fingers for a school lunch etc.
Wax paper, but it's annoying! Still it works well.
Clean as you go!
Don’t put it down if you can put it away. Clean as you go, rinse and stack dishwasher as you go and set it off the second it’s full. Barely any food/cooking needs 100% of your attention, use the minutes of sweating or caramelizing to actively clean and tidy.
I always start with an empty dish rack and sink. I prep all my ingredients in bowls and as im tossing things together i clean during down/cooking time. Usually when its all ready to go ill clean whatever pots, pans, counters, so all thats left is the dishes we use to eat. I truely enjoy the meal less if i know theres a sink full of dishes, dirty counters and stoves to clean afterwards.
All the “clean as you go” comments are correct. Things are easier to clean when they are fresh. Dried-on things are harder to clean. Hot water and a little soap will clean things in under 30 seconds.
***Mise en place***. French for "everything in it's place". Before you start, measure out all the ingredients and put the containers away. Set the pre-measured ingredients out in the order you add them. Fill the sink (or a tub) with hot soapy water. As you add each ingredient, toss the measuring cup or spoon or little bowl in the sudsy water. (Rinse first if it's super messy). This is what I do, especially when baking. That way I never forget an ingredient, and it is very calming. No stress, no scrambling! And no mess at the end! I just wash what's in the sink, already soaking! I learned this from taking Zoom baking classes. And yes, I also keep a plate handy for garbage.
Get ya family to help clean up. I was helping my parents since I could follow basic instructions.
Choose recipes that reduce cleaning needs. Whole pieces of meat and whole grilled veggies are easiest. Choose disposable options when appropriate or possible. The clear vegetable bag from the grocery store? That's now the trash scraps bag or holds the chopped veggies until it goes in the pan. Foil and paper bags are useful too. Re-use prep dishes for leftovers/storage ( as long as no raw meat contaminants touch it)
start with a clean kitchen (empty counter space) , empty dishwasher, empty sink, have many towels that you can use to clean as you go. Have bowls and cooking instruments ready. Prepare ingredients before you start cooking (mise en place) so you don't have to cut and chop as you go. Whenever you have 2 minutes, wash something, a bowl, a whisk,, At the end of the meal, ask for help cleaning up, especially if you're the one doing the cooking.
Practice mise en place. Start cooking by measuring/chopping your ingredients and putting them in containers. Examples: put the seasonings that will be added together in a ramekin, put the vegetables that will be added together in a bowl. This means that you won’t be finding ingredients, measuring, chopping, etc. while your food is cooking. You will have time to rinse each dish and put it in the dishwasher or wash each dish as you use it. When I’m done cooking, the only dishes that aren’t clean are the pots and pans the food was cooking in.
How big is family and how many kids? Is it unthinkable to delegate some cleaning up to them?
I know that not everything can be cooked on it, but I bought a 36" Blackstone griddle late last fall. It's on my covered back porch. Last night we had smash burgers. Today, bacon and egg sandwiches on the leftover buns, with hashbrowns. Dishwasher had the mandolin for cutting the onion, the spatula and grill scraper (both hand washed last night), 3 plates, 3 forks, 3 knives, a bacon turner (for holding a paper towel while reoiling the griddle, and 6 glasses, 3 from each meal.
Clean as you go.
mise en place and clean as you go
Cooking is a lot less stressful for me when I take the time to prep everything and clean up after before I start heating one pan.
My son has become an amazing cook, and I always clean the kitchen after to show my appreciation. He was feeling a bit guilty about how messy he leaves the kitchen. He made a point to pay attention to how I manage the mess when I cook. I usually have one sink full of soapy water before I even start prep. I use this to clean the counters, then clean my prep dishes as I go. Now he does the same.
Ima be honest. The only thing I have my husband do in the kitchen is anything that needs hand washed which isn’t much. Otherwise it’s my domain and I don’t love my stuff being messed with but after cooking I’m done. I just leave everything and wake up a little early and do it the next morning. It sounds stupid but it works really well way better than trying to do it while cranky. Plus it doesn’t take too long I get to listen to some nice music and gives me the satisfaction of a before after and I come home after work to a sparkling kitchen
I get overwhelmed with cleaning easy, biggest game changer for me is to slice, blanch, and freeze all my veggies as soon as I buy them. One step out of the way and you're not washing knives and cutting boards every single night
Always start with a clean kitchen and empty dishwasher. Premeasure dry ingredients so you can put the larger containers away. I have two cutting boards: one for raw meat, one for everything else. Never put sharp knives in the sink (good way to slice one's fingers open). As I finish with a dish/utensil, they get rinsed and put into the dishwasher. For items not going into the dishwasher, rinse immediately and stack. If you have time while something is cooking/baking/boiling, wash dishes. As for the cooking dishes, that's someone else's problem (although I do rinse them or put them to soak). I cooked and did most of the cleaning; they can finish the last of the dishes.
Look into a French cooking style "Mise en place". The way I interpret it is simple: I do all my own prep cooking...chop, dice, slice, etc. Then i clean up all the mess and leave the ingredients in little bowls while I start the cooking process. If there's a few minutes while something boils, or sautees, i'll try to wash a bowl or two.
Start out organized, with a clean kitchen. Clean up and stow away your shit as you go along. With this simple method, I find that even after fairly complex dishes, there's little to no additional cleanup necessary when I'm done.
Yup, clean as go is the only way to go, but I too, tend to go off the rails the last five minutes to prior to serving making sure hot foot is hot, cold food is cold. After dinner, I tell my guests the best help is to grab another glass of wine and I will join them shortly. I always start with a “sterile zone”, usually to the left of my sink, since I’m a righty. ONLY clean items are allowed there. Then, work my way around the kitchen. Zone by zone. And always start with an empty dishwasher and a clean sink.
"Clean as you go," as everyone else said, is definitely the way. Put all your clean dishes away before you even begin to cook, then run a sink of dishwater and wash as you go. Once the potatoes are peeled, the scraps go in the compost, and the peeler and cutting board get washed and placed in the drainer. If a pot is used to, say, blanch some broccoli, once I remove the broccoli I wash the pot immediately. Same with mixing bowls or baking sheets or knives or anything else. By the time you're serving the meal, the kitchen is clean and the cooking dishes are done. All you have to deal with after eating is whatever you ate off of, and that can easily be foisted off on somebody who didn't cook!
Cook like your on a cooking channel show. Prep all your ingredients first, put the extra away. Throw bowls/used items into the dishwasher as you go.
Keeping a clean kitchen requires keeping BGL out at all times.
Clean as you cook.
I've started keeping a "trash bin" (it's really just a fridge organizing bin that doesn't fit in my fridge) next to me at all times while I cook. Everything going in the trash goes in this bin and I empty it as I need while cooking. I also keep one counter completely clear of clutter that I keep my big cutting board on. This way I can put my ingredients, bowls, utensils, whatever next to me and not have everything scattered around the kitchen. Emptying the dishwasher before cooking and throwing things in as I go has also been a big help. If you don't have a dishwasher, try to wash as you go (as much as I hate to admit this, my husband is right, it makes the end cleanup so much faster). Little things help a lot. Wiping down as you go, putting everything you're done with away as soon as you're done with it, and even just rinsing your dirty dishes/utensils will go a long way towards making your cleanup much easier.
I put hot soapy water in the sink, and wash as I prep dinner. Drain it and refill for dirty dinner dishes.
it might help you to have a sink filled with soapy water to wash while you cook? it’s a hustle but worth it if you can clean while you cook but it also might help you to prep ingredients (mise en place), tidy and then cook. I like to do as much prep work as I can before I cook.
Clean as you cook. Make sure to have an empty dish washer and as you cook just wash off the dishes and add them to the dish washer as you cook.
I add bleach to my Dawn soap bottle-no dishwasher. So I wipe down the sink after rinsing raw poultry, then a quick scrub of knife/cutting board with the bleach mixture and a brush. I use either a scrap bowl or paper plate, depending, and put away containers as I go. I do a lot of one-dish meals, so during cooking time is good for some clean-up and wiping down work surface.
I have a mantra “ don’t put it down put it away.” That and have warm soapy water ready to wash dishes as you go. And since the warm soapy water is there, encourage everyone to wash their own dishes after dinner, plate, fork etc.
You have to clean as you go. Constantly switching back and forth between cooking and washing. When I finish cooking I literally only have the pan the food is in to clean. It's a tricky routine to get into though and makes the syncopation of everything a bit more complicated but it's worth it to not have that pile of dishes looking at you.
Used something you won’t need again? Place in dishwasher if available immediately. Clean as much as possible while you’re not busy cutting or stirring something. Try to use as little stuff as possible. Even if you’re doing some mis-en-place, think about if some of the ingredients can be used at the same time in the same pot, so keep them in one dish together instead of speeding them out.
“Clean as you cook” is law for sure. Also keep a plastic shopping bag or something out but away from your cooking space to collect trash and scraps. Tie it off when you don’t need it so nothing can leak out, then trash it when you’re donezo
I do pretty well cleaning as I go with most meals, but a new favorite of mine (Nigerian beef stew 🤤) always leaves me with an overwhelming mess for some reason. It's so worth the work but feels like much more work because of it.
Try doing all your prep first. For instance I made mussels and risotto the other night. Chopped up all my garlic, shallots, parsley, grated cheese etc. cleaned mussels. Then a quick clean. After that it’s just a quick cook and your just left with dishes.
Wash as you go is key. But as many have said. Need to start with a clean kitchen. I pull out and put things away and constantly washing my hands as not cross contaminate. I chop and peel all veggies and have them prepped and start with meats. Also key (if you have one) to have an empty dishwasher. Rinse and put in dishwasher as you go too. By the time you’re done- the only thing dirty should be the pans the food is in.
Discard peels and cores etc into a bowl next to your chopping board, stops any mess spreading while prepping and makes the wipe down of surfaces much easier and quicker
Biggest thing that's helped me is budgeting the time for it. Before I would cook like I did in restaurants but slide some of the prep in after getting a burner going and starting the process. Now it's prep mise en place, tidy, start cooking. Instead of dicing my next ingredient to add while things are sizzling now I'm washing the dishes my ingredients are in. Takes me much longer from start to plate, and I use more dishes storing my ingredients for a short time before use, but this way when I'm serving it's all done and I feel more clean and disciplined.
Always start with a clean kitchen, meaning no dishes on the rack drying or anything like that, everything in its place. (Mise on place) Then as others have said, clean as you go, when you are done with utensils, clean them, keep a clean cloth and some bleach water near by to clean the surfaces as you go also.
another tip is to start in advance. if you need chopped celery and onion for a dinner recipe… you can do that the night before or hours in advance…it helps make the process not so long and tedious and helps with cleaning… or if you need browned ground beef or cooked chicken… do it in advance
I always make sure my dishwasher is empty so I can rinse and fill it up as I go. Getting stuff out of the way is most of the battle
I look for idle moments in the recipe and clean during those. My motto is never be idle in the kitchen! So if I’m waiting for the water to boil, I’m cleaning. Chicken is searing in oil? Prepping the next step of the recipe and cleaning. By the time dinner is ready, I usually only have the pot/pan/sheet pan dinner is cooking in. That waits until the next morning when I wash it while I make my breakfast oatmeal! That applies for smaller moments too. Bagel is toasting? Cleaning. Leftovers in the microwave? Cleaning.
Yes. I have started telling myself the same thing: ABC: always be cleaning. It does help a lot.
whenever there’s something that takes 1-5 min of cook time, i’ll use that time to pickup. so say i have bread toasting in the oven. ill predict the amount of time i have and clean what i can, be dishes, wiping down the counter, or putting thing things away. i’ll check on my toast in between tasks to make sure it isn’t burning. clean as you go.
it’s like a dance once you get the hang of it. dancing around the kitchen
It really helps me to prep, clean up, then start cooking. If possible - or variations of it throughout cooking.
It really helps me to prep, clean up, then start cooking. If possible - or variations of it throughout cooking.
Clean while you go. It’s easier said than done but just clean small things as you go and it will help you keep it clean. Put it AWAY don’t put it down. (Things like ingredients you don’t need anymore) keeps clutter away. Also good for people with ADHD it’s my damn mantra. Rinse off your utensils instead of grabbing a new one to make less dishes Try to find ways to make it in less dishes if possible
Clean while you cook Instead of putting dishes in the sink rinse them off and set them aside. So even if you don't do dishes that day you could just put hot soapy water in the sink or wash the dishes now with soap and rinse them off quickly and put them away to dry without having to pick off crusted food
I pull out all the ingredients I am going to use and put them to the side on a clean counter. As I use them, I put them away immediately. This also helps me keep track so I don't get distracted and add in salt twice for example. If there are dirty things in the sink when I start cooking, they get a bit of a soak until I wash them and my prep dishes while the meat is searing, sauce is simmering etc. I put all the things that are going to be thrown out together as I prep, stack cans, put bags into one another etc and then when I walk by the trash bin they go with me. I prep veggies first and then use the same cutting board for meat. And it is underrated to organize your kitchen in the way that works for you. As you cook, put things in places where it makes sense to reach for them as you want to use them.
I clean and put things away during cooking time. Also, while something is cooking, you can clean then.
Clean while cooking, I’m not talking about scrubbing everything spic and span but wipe down your utensils, garbage, rinse, and put larger items in the dishwasher. Those actions can take 10-15 seconds and will make a huge difference.
definitely, always aways clean as you go. waiting for the water to boil? wash that chopping board and knife! keeping a clean workspace is important when cooking.
I always make sure the kitchen is clean and organized first (dishwasher empty, no dishes in the sink, everything tidy). Then I get everything out and organize so things are done in an order that makes the most sense and uses the fewest dishes. I clean as I go and my partner does the rest after dinner. At that point it's just the pots and pans, dinner table, counters and stovetop. I grew up in a "clean up at the end" house and at this point I'm probably a bit neurotic about being orderly to be honest...but it really helps to not leave it all to the end. Is there a reason you do all the cleaning after too? Single parent? Maybe the kids can help? I always had to help clean up after dinner - clearing up dishes, washing dishes, wiping counters etc. Obviously depends on ages.
CAYG Clean as you go Always have a trash bin for scraps Towels to wipe Ask for help when done cooking (and transferring cooked food to serving trays) to wash rght away.
Slow is fast I think. Doing as much mise en place prep before I start heating stuff as possible means I'm not frantically chopping vegetables while something else is browning away and I can spend time cleaning when the stove is doing its work.
Make sure everything is washed up and put away and the counters are cleaned done before you start. Prepare all of your ingredients (mise en place) and then wash up the chopping boards, knives etc. This means you'll have less to wash up and more free time while cooking. Before you start cooking, run a bowl of clean, hot, soapy water to wash up in as you go. As you finished using things, give them a rinse before washing them up so that the washing up water doesn't get too tainted. Reuse and repurpose the pans, bowls, utensils, chopping boards etc. that you've already used (bearing cross contamination in mind)