What is your best helpful hint for keeping the kitchen clean while you're cooking?
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M$8 Answers
1. The best advice is to clean as you go. If spills occur, don’t just leave them there, clean it up. As you get garbage, throw it out as soon as it is created. Keep a small amount of soap and water in the sink so the utensils and bowls used in cooking can be washed during breaks from the cooking. This will greatly improve the amount of mess that is left at the end of the meal.
2. Scoot the kitchen garbage pail over to where you are working. This makes it very easy to just throw away wrappers, boxes and food refuse immediately. If you have to walk across the kitchen many times during cooking, it is tiring plus just a waste of time.
3. Decide at the very beginning what the easiest way and using the least amount of pans, cooking utensils etc. is. Maybe some pans can do double duty after a little rinse out and maybe a few can be used more than once. It will be much easier to clean up the less pans and utensils you used to begin with.
Hope these hints will make your clean up after dinner a little smoother. :-)
personal knowledge and experience
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M$
If I am peeling things, I will pull the garbage can over to the sink so I can toss way the peels, wrappers and egg shucks as I go. I toss them in the non-soapy side of the sink, which is filled with plain water to rinse them.
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M$
The other thing is the "garbage bowl", a'la Rachel Ray, but I watched my mom use one since I was a child. That way, all the peels, wrappers etc. are in one place, and you can just toss them at the end. It makes cooking go faster and makes it less stressful, so you have time to put things away as you use them. Then just a quick wipe-down at the end, and you're done. I like using e-cloths, because they eliminate using chemicals or having to fill the sink with soapy water.
And of course, if you have a compost bin, just use two garbage bowls.
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M$
It is therefore a good idea to clean as you go along your daily chores, meal preparing, and kitchen rituals.
A compost bucket is key for throwing veggie and fruit scraps into. In turn you can throw the vegetable/fruit waste into your garden and it will magically decompose into soil for you to then grow more veggies, fruits and berries with. Or if you have chickens, your compost will serve as food for them!
Have your recycling bins arranged so that a garbage can is a thing of the past. Neatly have a place for plastic, glass, tin and paper. A separate one for beverage containers is also an element of recycling for you can donate the money earned from them to a good cause. I donate mine to the Wilderness School in my village!
A natural Essential Oil Spray cleaner is key for cleaning up counter tops and appliances. If choosing paper towels remind yourself to buy recycled paper towels for if is a waste of precious resources when trees are cut for something that we just throw away. When it comes to using trees we must remember that they took many if not hundreds of years to grow. Therefore by using a plant that is an annual, growing every year we benefit by saving our soil, air and microenvironments by cutting less trees for waste products.
A handy towel or recycled paper towel for floor spills is a great thing for kitchen clean ups.
Aromatherapy candles give off nice smells to leave you smiling and feeling happy in your home.
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M$A pet peeve of mine is when people use a knife for cutting something and then leave it in the sink. Especially if they're just cutting fruit. All they need to do is rinse it off and put it back in the knife rack. Unless you're cutting meat or something greasy, there's no need for a soapy wash.
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M$
My two main cleanup tools are a garbage can and a bar mop (or extra towel). I use the garbage can for scraps – others use a bowl, but I find that it both crowds the counter and is one more thing to clean, so I go straight to the can. I use the bar mop/towel to wipe off different surfaces and cutlery so I minimize the number of things that I use in the process. If I can use a couple less knives and cutting boards as I go then I can save on cleanup.
Two other tips I use:
1. Cut things in the right order as much as possible. Cutting from least messy (think green peppers) to more messy (think tomatoes, citrus, etc.) will help reduce the number of times you need to clean the cutting board.
2. Use dishwasher safe items as much as possible. One of the main reasons I prefer plastic cutting boards to wood is that I can throw them in the dishwasher when I’m done. I know they can really wear on knives, but not having to do the dishes is worth it to me.
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M$Have a garbage in easy an easy to access place at all times. The other thing is to have a large bowl or compost container in close proximity to your working space.
think about this the hurrier you go, the behinder you get
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M$Cleaning as you go keeps everything running smoothly. If the dishwasher is emptied at the start of the cooking process then it's real easy to clean as you go.
Having the trash bin or a bowl for cooking scraps is also handy. It will save you time opening the trash each time you need to throw something away. I prefer the bowl on the counter method...dump scraps in the bowl, then dump the bowl scraps in the trash when you are finished.
http://www.thecookingblock.com/meal_preparation.html
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M$
