7 Tips To Keep Your Kitchen Clean While Cooking
There is nothing more rewarding than preparing a hot meal for your family, and nothing more discouraging than to clean-it-up afterwards. For those of us who live busy lives, it means more time away from those you care about the most.
If you want to spend more time with your family, it’s not a bad idea to look for a housekeeper that can help you with daily chores. However, it is not an easy job to find one. But in case you live near New York; you should look out for companies that provide cleaning services and assist you in finding the perfect housekeeper in New York.
But in case you want to do it on your own, wouldn’t it be great to know the secrets of keeping your kitchen clean all the time? Here are a few tips that will help you to do just that, all while cooking so that you don’t have the messy chores that come afterwards.
1. Start With A Clean Slate
If there are spills on the counter, then you’ll only be adding to the mess when you do your prep work. Clear away all the dishes from the countertop and wash any dirty dishes or utensils in the sink before you begin. This also gives you the space you need to work your magic without having to move things around.
2. Give Yourself A Workstation For Prep
Cooking always requires good preparation, but one way to really mess up a kitchen is when you don’t have a designated space to work in. If you have to do a lot of prep work, then you need space to spread out. A good workstation eliminates the need to be working in different areas around the kitchen as this leads to more areas to clean up afterwards. Choose the right spot so you will concentrate your work on one specific area.
3. Organize Your Workstation With the Essentials
Before you begin, set up your workstation with cleaning in mind. Have a receptacle for garbage waste and make sure one side of your sink is ready for washing dishes as you go and the other side is clear for washing and draining vegetables. You also want your broom and dustpan within reach to pick up spills as soon as they happen.
4. Prepare A Soak
You’ll probably need to wash your utensils several times. To avoid having to constantly run to the sink to clean them, prepare a soak. Fill a large bowl with hot, soapy water and keep it within easy reach of the stove. When you are finished working with the utensil, drop it in the soak and leave it until you’re ready to use it again. Just simply rinse it under the running faucet and continue with your cooking. This will keep them from accumulating sticky foods that will be difficult to clean up later.
5. Have A Plan
The more organized you are before you start to cook the less mess you’ll have when you’re done. If you know how long it takes to prepare each dish, you can prepare your task so that everything is ready around the same time. Preparing the foods beforehand prevents rushing, which inevitably leads to bigger messes.
6. Clean Between Steps
Take advantage of the time between different dishes to get ahead of the clean-up. If the dishes you are preparing don’t require your undivided attention, then use that time to wipe down the countertops or wash a few dishes. Taking advantage of those few extra minutes will not only save you the heavier work later but will take away a lot of stress too.
7. Use Paper Towels Or A Baking Sheet
To keep your counters clean, use a baking sheet or paper towels to place ingredients on. Paper towels can easily be disposed off after use and your counters will look like they have never been touched. They are also very useful for catching spills as they happen so nothing has a chance to harden and stick on the surface.
It is not always easy to keep your kitchen clean when you are unorganized. By having a plan before you start, and cleaning as you go, your kitchen may end up looking cleaner after you finish than when you first started.
