Blog Highlights:
- Cleaning while the food cooks will allow you to have a relaxing meal with your loved ones
- Always start your cooking preparations by cleaning the kitchen first
- Before you prepare your food ingredients, make sure that you have all your utensils ready to minimize the mess
- Put everything in place by putting used utensils in the right location and by preparing the food ingredients beforehand
- Keep a timer handy so you won’t get carried away with the cleanup while the food cooks
If your kitchen always looks like a disaster area after you cook, then you need to learn a few simple tricks that can change all that.
While cooking, it is always best to clean along the way. This will help you save time, and it will also allow you to have a relaxing meal with your loved ones when the cooking is done.
Start Clean
The first thing you need to do is to clean the area before you begin preparing your ingredients. Starting clean means putting away mail and other items which you do not need at the moment. You should also wipe all surfaces with a clean rag, and the dishwasher should also be cleaned ahead of time.
This will allow you to have a clean workspace and it will also help you avoid contaminating your food.
Prepare your utensils ahead of time
Have the garbage bin, the knives, and the bowls ready before you begin working on the ingredients. Doing so will help you avoid spreading messes onto cabinets and on other surfaces. This will also help you to think about how you can minimize the dirty dishes by reusing items that you already have.
“Mise en place”
Put everything in its place. Now that you have the utensils, you can now take out your ingredients. Wash them carefully, chop or dice them neatly, then put them on bowls so that they will be ready for cooking. Preparation is actually the messiest part of cooking, and doing this part orderly can help you limit the mess that you have to cleanup afterwards.
Use the sink to your advantage
Wash and rinse produce in the kitchen sink. Let vegetables drain inside the sink as well. You can also do your measuring on top of the sink. This will allow you to limit where the mess and to easily do the cleanup as soon as you are done.
Plan wisely
While the food cooks, you can slowly start the cleanup. Keep a timer on hand so you will not get carried away with the cleaning. Focus on getting rid of the trash and on what you can throw at the disposal. If you still have enough time, you can move on to cleaning the utensils that you used.
Although this might be something that you are not used to, just focus on the benefits that you can reap afterwards. Especially if you are able to catch up on all the mess and the dishes while your food cooks.
