9 Easy Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Clean While Cooking

One of the hardest things about being a Foodie and cooking from scratch..in my opinion, is the constant need to clean your kitchen.  It’s not like you make one little dish and then you are done for a day or two.  Oooh Nooo!  It’s cooking, cleaning.  Cooking, cleaning.  Cooking, cleaning!  Day in and day out. 

How to keep your kitchen clean while cooking!

I did a little survey on my Facebook page a while back when I had a giveaway and do you know what came in second place when I asked what was your biggest  Kitchen Frustration?  Yep!  Keeping your kitchen clean!  So I’m going to share with you some tips that might help you to better keep your kitchen clean while cooking in hopes that you might enjoy cooking just a little bit more! Yay!

1. 1. Keep a clean washcloth or some paper towels handy at all times, for cleaning up spills and wiping off your hands.  Clean as you go.
   2. Keep a tub of hot soapy water in your sink or on the counter to throw your dirty “little” dishes in for soaking.  That way you can either just wash by hand or load right into dishwasher without even rinsing.   i.e. spoons, measuring cups, bowls..
   3. Keep a garbage can near by for all of those peeling, bones, stems etc.  OR you can just have a small garbage with a bowl or coffee can and then dump into garbage when done.  OR into the compost!
   4. Make sure the dishwasher is empty before you start.  Or at least mostly empty so that you can put your dirty dishes right into the dishwasher as you go.
   5. Use the same utensils, as much as you can, over and over.  Like measuring cups and such.
   6. If you have a thin Cutting Matt, use that for veggies and such.  It makes for much easier transfer from counter to pot. 
   7. Think about your meal plan for the week.  Consider doing more Crockpot cooking or one dish recipes.  This will cut WAY back on the amount of dishes and work you do.
   8. Have a cooking day once a week.  Then store in frig or freeze your meals for the week.  This makes clean up MUCH easier.
   9. Ask for help!  This is a real downfall in my home.  My teens leave dirty dishes in their rooms, in the living room, bathroom..everywhere. 

Then you know what happens?

Yep! That’s straight from my daughter’s room.  Oh brother!  Dried, who knows what is in there!  I need a good dishwashing detergent to get these kinds of dishes clean, so I was super excited to try the new Finish Quantum Power and Free!  This detergent is less the harsh chemicals, so it’s safe for the whole family! 

Now if you know me, you know that I’m pretty frugal!  I usually will just use store brand detergents, packaged foods and so forth because they are less expensive…most of the time. 

But

I do have an exception to this rule.  If a Brand Name performs better than the store brand and is reasonably priced, I will buy it! 

So I did a little experiment and put my store brand up against Finish Quantum Power and Free!  So stay tuned till the end because FIRST I want to show you these crazy little things!

Wowee..I love to try new things like this!  Don’t you wonder how these work?!  You just stick one whole cube into the little dispenser and that’s it!

Now let’s see how they stack up against one another..

Ok so what’s all that stuff that stays behind on the glass from the store brand?  I don’t know, but Finish you sold me!  I am super impressed and I’ve decided that I’ll pay a few cents more for cleaner more healthy dishes for sure!

How do YOU keep the kitchen clean while YOU are cooking?  My readers want to know!