Home cooks generally fall into one of two camps – those who tidy as they go along and those who create havoc and then tidy later. While everyone has their own style of cooking, there are lots of benefits from tidying as you go. A tidy kitchen is safer and more hygienic than a messy one, and the cooking process is more enjoyable when you work in an organised space.
When the kitchen is tidy, you’ll find it easier to locate the right utensil or pan in a hurry. You reduce the risk of burning food while looking for things and you reduce the risk of cross contamination, as it’s easier to keep cooked and raw ingredients apart. You reduce the risk of fire by ensuring tea towels and dishcloths are not lying close to naked flames, and cut the risk of trips and slips caused by a messy floor. Best of all, when you tidy as you go along, you can enjoy your meal without worrying about having to clean the kitchen afterwards.
But when you’re cooking, it’s easy to create mayhem – particularly if you’re preparing a complicated dish that uses lots of ingredients and different pieces of equipment. Here are some ways to ensure you keep your kitchen clean and tidy as you cook:
Start with a clean kitchen – It may sound obvious, but don’t attempt to cook a meal if last night’s dishes are still piled on the worktop. Not only will you have less space to get organised but you’ll probably find a key piece of equipment needs washing before you can use it.
Keep it simple – Don’t use more equipment than you actually need. For example, could you use the same saucepan to cook more than one type of vegetable?
Keep knives tidy – Never leave them lying around after use or you could accidentally cut yourself or a child could grab them from the worktop. Instead, wash and dry knives as you go along. Not only will this keep you safe but also you will always have a clean knife to hand when you need it.
Prepare in a logical place – Messy kitchens are often caused by moving backwards and forwards between worktops. Take a look at your kitchen and position yourself in the most logical place. For example, if you’re throwing ingredients straight into a pot on the hob, stand next to the cooker to prepare them.
Throw away – Keep a bag on your worktop to collect rubbish as you cook. You may also find that a small, worktop-compost bin is a useful place to put peelings.
Deal with spills – Whether on the worktop or on the floor, spills are easier to deal with when fresh, and cleaning them straightaway ensures you don’t put your foot, sleeve or the bottom of a serving plate in the mess.