Tips for Keeping Your Kitchen Clean While Preparing Meals

I don’t know about y’all but I tend to be messy when I am cooking. I do attempt to not be so messy now. When I was younger there would be pots and pans everywhere. Not to mention a sink full of dishes. I think with age I have gotten to where I want to have to do as little clean up as possible.

Over the years I have discovered a few tips that help me keep the kitchen clean while I am cooking. Okay, maybe not sure when but at the very least mean less work once dinner is over. Of course the kids handle a lot of the cleaning after dinner. However, I still deal with the pots and pans because they never seem to get them clean.

Garbage Bowl

Having a garbage bowl helps so much. I have one large one that I use for this purpose. While I am opening packages, cutting things, peeling, cracking eggs, whatever the garbage goes into this bowl. When I am finished cooking, I toss everything out and set the bowl aside. I don’t wash it just yet, because I use it to scrap all the plates and such with after we eat. It just makes things easier to only have one bowl that everything like that goes into. It gets washed after the final dump.

Utensil Cup

I also have a large plastic measuring cup (a four cup one) that I no longer measure with but use it as my utensil cup while cooking. Any spoon, fork, measuring spoon, etc that I use while I am preparing everything I drop into that cup. It keeps them all together and helps keep the counters clean as well. When I am done with it, I simply place it in the sink, add dishwashing liquid, and fill with hot water. That way they are soaking while we eat dinner. Once we are done I can add the silverware from the meal into the cup. The silverware and utensils are always washed last.

Spray Bottle of Soapy Water

I actually have two spray bottles, one with just water and one with soapy water. The soapy water one helps so much. I can wash down a counters quickly if needed. I use it to wash down the inside lid of the electric pressure cooker, and other gadgets. The clean water one I use after I use the soapy one. That way everything can get a bit of rinse as well. The plain water typically gets used twice so I can be sure I got all the soap off.

Clean as I Go

After of the things above help me clean as I go and that is ultimately the biggest trick I have. Cleaning as I go along helps things get clean quicker. It means when we sit down to eat; the counters have already been cleaned, the utensils are soaking, the pots and pans have already been washed or are soaking.

All of this makes life so much easier on me. I also lay out any containers we may need for leftovers. That way the kids down mess up my system. If they aren’t needed I put them away quickly. Not a problem. Finally, every night before I go to bed I put away all of the dishes. There is nothing better than starting each day off with a clean kitchen.

ARE YOU A MESSY CHEF? DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS THAT HELP YOU KEEP THINGS CLEAN? PLEASE SHARE THEM WITH US INTHE COMMENTS.