It doesn’t take much for your kitchen to look like a hazard zone. Use these tips for cleaning while you cook to manage the mess and make after dinner clean up less stressful.
Tips for Cleaning While You Cook
We all know it is easier to cook in a clean kitchen. Cleaning while you cook is the easiest way to keep your kitchen clean. With a few simple changes to your cooking routine, you can easily clean your kitchen while you cook helping control the mess and make cooking less stressful.
Unload Dishwasher Before You Start
If you have a dishwasher unload it before you you beginning cooking empty out the clean dishes so you can load dishes as you clean. If you don’t have a dishwasher fill the sink or a dishpan with hot soapy water to make washing as you go easier instead of having dishes piling up in the way while you are cooking.
Take Out the Trash
Just like having an empty dishwasher gives you a place to put dirty dishes, an empty garbage can ensures you have room for any trash you create while cooking. Before you start cooking take out the trash, recycling, and compost so you have fresh bins to work with. Toss all the trash you create immediately instead of leaving scraps on the cutting board or trash on the counter.
Fill the Sink with Water
Put a stopper in your kitchen sink and fill it with warm water and dish soap. As you are done with bowls, spatulas, and measuring cups drop them in the sink. Letting the dirty dish soak while you are cooking ensures that none of the food gets dried on.
Use a Scrap Bowl
Place a bowl on the counter to throw scraps in. Not only will this keep your work area clean, it will save you time since you only have one trip to the trash can to empty your bowl instead of multiple trips to toss scraps and egg shells.
Prepare for Messes
Messes happen, so be sure to prepare for them before they occur. Place a food surface safe disinfectant, a pre-moistened wash cloth, and a clean towel in a handy spot. This allows you to wipe up spills quickly and easily kill bacteria on counters, sinks, and stove tops as you go instead of scrubbing them up when they have dried later.
Be sure to place a paper towel over food that you place in the microwave. Quickly melting butter or reheating cooked rice in the microwave can cause splatters and food stuck on the sides, top, and turntable. If you do, get splatters in your microwave put a cup of water in the microwave, heat it for 2 minutes. Let it sit for one, and then remove the cup and wipe down the microwave. The steam should make it easier to remove any stuck on food splatters.
If you aren’t trying to reduce the liquid in a dish, use a lid. Using lids reduces the splatters while simmering food on the stove top.
If you are cooking multiple dishes, one spoon rest will not be enough. Place a piece of foil on each side of the stove to rest, your spoons and spatulas on. When you are done cooking, toss the foil in the trash.
Place a baking tray under a cutting board if you are cutting anything messy such as water melon. The tray will catch the drips which is much better than them running over your counter and down your cupboards.
Clean While Food is Cooking
Once you have a dish simmering on the stove top or roasting in the oven, take a few minutes to clean up. Wipe up any spills, put the dishes that have been soaking in the dishwasher, empty your scrap bowl and put it in the dishwasher, and if you have time sweep up anything that may have fallen on the floor.
Lastly, Use Your Self-Cleaning Oven
If you have a self cleaning oven, run it after one of your baking days while it is still warm. Then it will take your oven less energy to get up to temperature. This will leave even your oven fresh after baking. Save this task for a cold winter day as the self clean cycle will warm your home up a few degrees.
If you start putting these tips to use nightly as you prepare dinner, they will become habits that will carry you through preparing a large holiday meal while leaving your kitchen clean enough to impress guests.