"Clean as you go" is a piece of cooking advice I took to heart years ago, so when I'm in the kitchen with someone who doesn't follow the same principles, my stress levels rise and I start looking around desperately for a sponge. Are you the same way?
When I first starting cooking, frequent cleaning was a necessity; I had a single two-foot-long counter in my kitchen, so I didn't have space for a mess. But even as I got older and my counter space became more expansive, the benefits of cleaning as I cooked were clear. I felt better organized and more focused when my workspace was tidy. I could see the ingredients in front of me. I made fewer mistakes. Cooking was more fun.
But I am also someone who works best in a clean, uncluttered environment, which isn't everyone's ideal. As tough as it is for neat freaks like me to understand, there are some people who thrive in messy work spaces, jumbled desks or studios where chaos leads to creativity. I'm willing to believe there are cooks out there who cook better in a kitchen where the counters are cluttered and the dirty bowls aren't immediately put in the sink — I just can't be in their kitchens without a sponge nearby.
How about you? Do you clean as you go while cooking? Why do you do it?
Related: Even The Pioneer Woman Has A Messy Kitchen
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I also clean as I go and have trouble with a messy workspace. My husband lets all the cleaning wait until the end. We do not cook together.
I have trouble cooking with other people because of this issue (and because it is so hard to divvy tasks), so I prefer to do collaborative meals pot-luck style rather than cooking them together.
Ugh, that makes me feel like I'm so uptight.
I clean as I go but sometimes my tiny kitchen gets overwhelmed. Then I start to go crazy. When I'm making my standby meals, this doesn't happen, but when I'm trying something new I can find myself in a rising tide of mess. I am NOT a neatnik, nor a clean freak, and my idea of cleaning as I go might not equal someone else's. But within my standards, yes, I need things to be cleared up.
Cooking in my studio means I have no counter space and if I don't clean as I go, there's no room to do anything.
There's something really gratifying about getting the whole kitchen cleaned up as you're finishing your cookingl. I love knowing that just the pots and pans will be left to clean after my meal is ready.
+1 for clean as I go. I get really annoyed when other people in the house leave dirty dishes in the sink (and we have a dishwasher!) because it makes it even more of a pain to clean as you go along and I don't really like doing dishes before and after dinner.
I'm with BrittanyKate, and clean as I go. It drives me INSANE to share a kitchen with someone who doesn't clean until the end. It just makes the process seem sooo much longer and arduous to have all that work left to do after the payoff of eating. I've also noticed that those types typically manage to get three times as many items dirty in the process.
When I'm done cooking, I typically have only the final cooking vesesl to clean and whatever dishes eaten off of. Except for special occasions, I serve out of the cooking dish, so that eliminates another dirty item. It's these things that make cooking more enjoyable for me, because it seems less like work.
Not to mention, items that aren't cleaned right away tend to be more difficult to clean because the food gets gunked onto the dishes.
I definately clean as I go. It's easier to do it this way since the food doesn't have time to harden. And if the dishwasher is empty I load it while I'm cooking too with the things i'm finished using. The people I live with (who do the dishes) really should figure this out, it would save them a lot of work doing dishes after dinner!
I clean as I go because we have very little counter space and I hate finishing dinner and having a mountain of dishes to do. I also cannot stand waking up to any mess in the kitchen, so each night I make sure everything is nice and tidy (Counters wiped, all dishes either in the dishwasher getting washed or drying in the dish rack, floors swept.)
Like the writer I too get very stressed in a messy kitchen, and it's hard to focus on cooking when there is mess around. Cleaning as I go works for me, and makes sense because the longer you let dirty dishes sit, the harder they are to clean. So you actually spend more time cleaning in the long run.
I remember watching Julia Child as a kid, and she said "A good cook cleans as she goes!", and it's my mantra to this day, especially when I'm elbow-deep in cheffing it up!
I was taught to clean as you go by my mother and I teach that to the cooks in my kitchen. Not only does it make for a saner working environment, there isn't a huge mess to clean up after dinner.
I don't care for cleaning as I go. I put everything in the sink as I go and when I'm done and we've had dinner, I put everything in the dishwasher and BAM! all taken care of. If I'm in someone else's kitchen, I'll abide by their rules, mind you, but in my own kitchen (and I don't have that much useful counter space; it's mostly corners), the cleaning can wait after I've reap the rewards of my hard work.
I guess I'm the minority here.. I do not clean as I go. Some dishes may end up in the dishwasher or sink, but not generally on purpose. I do have a kitchen that is on the large size, but this mainly happens because my husband and I have a rule - one person cooks the other person cleans.
Works well for us!
I do this to the extreme. There may be a mise en place stacked neatly on part of the counter, but any food used gets Pyrexed and goes right back in the fridge and dishes or silverware rinsed and into the dishwasher while I'm cooking. Then off to wash my hands, back to cooking. It takes pretty good timing. By the way, don't reach for a sponge! Those things are filthy - get a handled brush. You'll love them and it can go in the dishwasher. Neat freaks rule!
If there's enough time in the rhythm of whatever I'm making (think roast chicken vs. risotto) I clean as I go because I like not having so much to do after dinner. And since I eat dinner about 3 feet away from my sink, I'm a lot happier if a big mess isn't sitting there while I eat. But if I don't have time to clean as I go, I don't really stress about it. I used to be the worst person in the world about cleaning my kitchen or doing the dishes, but when I moved in with my hubby (then boyfriend) I knew that this was my worst roommate habit and made an effort to become someone who regularly does the dishes. It worked! And as a bonus, my nice clean kitchen is now one of my favorite places in the entire house!
While I may not clean every piece of equipement or tool as I use them, I can be considered to be in the clean as I go camp. It would upset my rhythm as a cook if I had to stop after every task to clean whatever had been used or gotten dirty at that point. Things get stacked to the side or in the sink and at a moment when I can pause in the food/meal prep, then I clean at that time. Some things get put in the dishwasher and other items, that are used frequently, get hand washed so they are ready to go next time I need them.
The image at the top is making. me . anxious...
So obviously I prefer to clean as I go. My husband does most of the cooking, though, and he couldn't care less.
I sometimes clean as I go, depending on timing of what I'm making. It is sure nice when I'm done to only wash one thing or two.
The real issue is, since I don't have a dishwasher, I wash things in a specific order for the most efficient stacking of my drying rack. Also, I like to make just one tub of hot soapy water for dishes.
Now my roommate seems to take the "load the dish drainer with a snow shovel" approach, but it's like a house of still-wet cards when I try to put things away the next day.
I have no problems with mess, but I clean as I go. That way any waiting time for cooking, I'm still likely to be in the kitchen, and things won't overboil or burn because I walked off to do something else. It took some time to train my husband to stay in the kitchen rather than walk off without a timer going or with a lid on the spaghetti. He prefers to read a book and clean all at once after dinner.
Cleaning as I go is a must! I try to put away ingredients I'm not using anymore before I'm done with everything. I do think that this makes the cooking process longer, but it makes me feel a lot better about what I'm doing--especially when I'm done. Though whatever dishes are left, I leave for my fiance :)
I'm the same and it annoys the heck out of me when the flatmates leave random bits and pieces lying round. It's so easy to do!
My kitchen is tiny, so I have to clean a bit as I go. Mostly, anything that can go in the dishwasher makes it there as soon as I'm done with it, but everything else goes in the sink with a rinse until after.
I typically clean as I go, but since my fiance and I have the agreement that I cook and he cleans, sometimes I'll leave things in the sink just because I know that he'll clean them and it's one less thing for me to do.
i just wrote about this on my blog the other day - yes, i've started and the evening clean up post meal is so much less stressful! plus my TEENY kitchen is so much easier to work in this way...
http://briebarton.blogspot.com/2012/01/biting.html
i know you SHOULD clean as you go... but i only sort of do. i put away ingredients after i use them and fill up the sink with my dirty utensils and dishes. lol.
thankfully, my husband is neater than me and will clean the mound of dirty dishes i accumulate.
I try try try to clean as I go and most of the time I get it done. Even if I can't clean everything I do rinse before putting in the sink and I have a lovely husband who will finish the cleaning after dinner.
I always clean as I go, partially because the piled-up mess unnerves me and partially because my super small kitchen just doesn't have enough room for me to chop, cook, etc. effectively when it's full of dirty pots, pans, and bowls. Also, it keeps me from getting distracted by other things outside the kitchen, and I feel more relaxed once the meal is ready because I don't have a pile of dishes to contend with later.
My husband cleans while I'm cooking, and we talk and drink a wine or beer in process. That way we get to spend some time together after work have both a wonderful dinner and a clean kitchen.
I definitely try to clean as I go, but depending on what I'm cooking, it might not be possible. So I try to prep things ahead of time if possible, then cleaning, then cooking, but sometimes something happens to force a pile to build up! Plus sometimes the dish drying rack is full, and I either started cooking or cleaning without emptying it, so there is nowhere for clean dishes to go aside from delicately piling it all on top.
The other thing is I somewhat share a kitchen, so I feel really rude if I leave a mess when they want to start cooking, or if we're both cooking at the same time. However, they are definitely NOT clean-as-you-go people, so I go crazy sometimes with their mess! I can't stand that they put dishes in one side of the sink and don't clean them for ages. Actually, the grossest thing is what I have been referring to as the "science experiment" on our counter - some sort of potato dish they made in a casserole dish (with a lid, thank goodness) that was in the fridge for at least a month, and now has been on the counter next to the sink for about a month. It is horrid! And I clean enough of their dishes as it is, I'm NOT risking my health to clean this nasty thing! How do they not see it?!?! I cleaned the entire kitchen except it a couple times so it would stand out, and yet it still sits there!
I not only clean as I go, I try to consolidate duties to as few cooking implements as possible (veggies go into the pasta water to blanch during the last minute or two, make a pan sauce/deglaze vs. using a separate pot, etc.). My kitchen is small - so it drives me nuts to have a sink full of dishes before my family even sits down to dinner. This way, the Husba9000(TM) can clean up quickly and we can spend some time chilling out w/the kids.
I find the hardest thing is to not let the meal burn or get cold. I often serve my boyfriend and ask him to start while I finish cleaning. It drives him nuts because then my meal is cold (but I don't care that much).......we do take turns cooking but the last thing I want to do after a meal is have a sink full of dishes to clean.
My mom (who is an amazing cook) never cleans as she goes and it drives me crazy. I love to clean as I go.
Keltrue - I do that too - the most efficient cooking in order not to have as many dishes to wash :)
I prefer to clean as I go and my boyfriend ... well... total opposit doesn't cover it. Everything that he needs stays on the counter, including dirty spoons covered in batter (honey, there is a spoon rest for this particular reason!!) open canisters, empty cans, chopped herbs. Then there is only a tiny bit of the counter space left to chop... arg >.< drives me nuts! So when he cooks, I just silently clean as he goes - because I can't stand it - and we get to spend some time together.
I try to clean as I go. It can be a pain, but it's the greatest feeling in the world when you're done eating, and you know there's hardly any cleanup to do!
I try to keep as neat as I could while cooking, so it sort of drives me crazy when I watch someone else make (unnecessary) messes in the kitchen. To keep the peace, I surreptitiously wash and dry the knives and chopping boards while they're away on the stove. It seems to make the mess smaller, and if they need to use the knife again, at least it's clean!
I straddle the line of both. While I do start out cleaning as I go, towards the end, I invariably end up letting the cleaning fall to the wayside. That is to say I get so wrapped up in finishing off the meal and getting everything to the table that I tend to forget to keep cleaning. Which isn't so terrible, since I've already cleaned about 80% of the mess, anyway.
I'm in the latter group...
I only clean as I go depending on what materials I need to cook.
Other than that I clean before I cook or after a meal...And admittedly I'm retentive about my kitchen..Even without cleaning as I go.
I cook about 60% of the time and the hub does the rest. I clean as I go. He doesn't. But the cook doesn't do the after meal KP.
Giacomo makes a much bigger mess, however.
Sometimes I can do it. Other times, it gets the best of me. :-/
It's not that I thrive in a messy, chaotic environment, but when I cook I want to be able to concentrate on the task at hand. I cook slowly, and then I eat slowly, savouring the process and the results. No rushing in the kitchen - it leads to mistakes and breakages!
i so want to do a 'monica' and get in that kitchen and clean it right now.
are you the same way? YES!
do you clean as you go while cooking? YES! and i even clean up whatever is there BEFORE i clean.
why do you do it? Efficiency, hygiene, limited space PLUS i like to eat the meal I've cooked in a decent looking place.
DRMEGLET - we've had to replace two frying pans because my fiance does this same thing. it's infuriating to know money is wasted because someone is careless. hence i'm the one to cook most nights.
I'm with Pearmelon. Aside from washing something I need to reuse, like a knife or strainer, or disposing of peels and containers, I like to concentrate on the task at hand. Unless all that's going on is a roast in the oven, or a pot of something long-simmering, I feel calmer focusing on cooking, instead of constantly switching between cooking and cleaning modes. (I have a small kitchen.) And I must say, I often detect judgment from the "clean as you go" camp. I had a former roommate who was preeettty self righteous about her "clean as you go" preference-- meanwhile her cooking primarily consisted of heating up frozen foods or preparing a boxed rice dish, so I don't feel she was really qualified to say! :) By the way, I do absolutely need to have my work area cleaned and cleared before I commence cooking (unlike said roommate). That's a different consideration entirely.
I'm not a good enough cook to clean as I go, haha. It takes all my focus to keep up with a recipe. If I start trying to wash the mixing bowls in the middle of cooking, I forget to stir the pot / check the casserole / flip the chicken / etc. Or I realize that the time spent washing the mixing bowls should have been spent chopping the onions / making the sauce / otherwise prepping for the next step.
I have to clean as I go, otherwise there is a huge mess afterwards that I KNOW I will not take care of. When I cook for a large group of people I couldn't imagine waiting till the end to clean up EVERYTHING.
I agree with Christine M, the cleaning can wait until we're done enjoying the meal!! Besides, cleaning as i go sort of distracts me from cooking and have resulted in overcooking/burning my ingredients. I like a clean kitchen as much as the next cook, but I'd rather make a mess and clean that mess all at once at the end than to worry about cleaning each little thing as I go.
Great post thanks.
I am search of your help!
I am designer based in Glasgow looking to redesign aspects of the shared kitchen experience. It would great to hear what you think about a few of my concepts via email / facebook / skype / twitter and perhaps I could even send you some to test out.
I have to clean as I go. If I don't, I can't continue in my cooking process. Drives me nuts.
I pretty much always clean as I go. The 5-minute pockets of time as things cook are perfect for it. And a HATE eating a meal and then having a huge mess to clean up.