apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

A few things I've found that help:
* start with a clean kitchen and an empty dishwasher, sound counter intuitive, but this way, it's easy to see what's going on around you and you have a place to put your dirty dishes as you create them
* use a small counter-top trashcan to quickly dump the unwanted junk (line it with a shopping bag)
* use 2 sets of measuring cups/spoons, one for wet, one for dry so you can continuously reuse them with just a quick rinse if need-be
* cleaning as you go!

i second jesser! i have exactly two square feet of counter space and no dishwasher, and steps like those make all the difference in the world.

i would add that you should keep paper towels on hand to wipe up spills as they happen, rather than waiting till you're done. keeps you from having to clean pancake batter off the bottom of your cutting board, etc.

also, reuse dishes/utensils wherever you can. a rinse is usually good enough if you're using the utensil for the same dish (but don't cross-contaminate meat and veggies).

Mise en place is definitely the key for me.

Do all the prep work for a recipe.
Finish prep by making sure you didn't forget an ingredient, then clean EVERYTHING up.
Then, get out the pots/pans/bowls you need to cook.

Seems tedious, but prepping and cooking at the same time means your focus is sometimes not on the pan over the burner...burning...

Only one small variation to all this good advice... If I have learned only one thing from Racheal Ray (which is probably the average number of things learned from RR for many folks), it is the incorporation of the "junk bowl" into my food prep. Only at my house we use jesser's trashcan technique, and the junk bowl is for compostables.

Otherwise, yes, the mantra for me is rinse, rinse, rinse and reuse!

I agree with all above.

Cleaning up while cooking can slow you down, but it's better than the alternative.

There's nothing more anticlimatic at the end of a good meal than having to deal with all those ingredients *again* in the form of drips, scraps, containers to be put away, and piles of dirty dishes.

Ditto everything above but especially Sara Kate's "plan your attack" advice. When I know I'll be cooking somethiing on the more elaborate side, I visualize in advance how I will do it, you know, the way Olympic atheletes visualize their performance so they can take 1/10th of a second off of each lap. I picture what equipment I'll need etc. and imagine myself going through the process. Cleaning as you go is essential too. I too have a tiny kitchen -- no dishwasher, and very little counter space -- but by planning ahead, and cleaning along the way, I do have fun in it.

Clean as you go! Like everyone else said!

I also map my cooking out on a timeline, adn then prep everything (like they do on cooking shows - the french nesting bowls from WS are awesome, as are the 4 oz prep bowls - see the link in my name)

I have a library table in the center of my kitchen, because I have limited counter space, and I use that as a production line. My recipes get taped to the cupboard door, and a timeline and strategic plan of attack goes alongside that.

Empty sink and dishwasher work too. Everything goes in, and when the last thing is int he oven, the handwash items get washed, so that you can feel free to linger over the wine at the end of dinner.

What everyone has said has been spot on. From my own experience (moved from a large spacious kitchen to a tiny one counter kitchen) you have got to clean as you go. Get as much prepped ahead of time and then I always clean in the midst of cooking if I find myself with a bit of a loll, makes all the difference and keeps me from getting 'crazy' in the kitchen.

I completely second the JUNK BOWL (or junk colander in sink). Especially when prepping/cleaning vegetables or measuring out spices - nice catch-all.

My problem is prepping meat - I do it so rarely and when I do I forget to prep it with separate utensils/surfaces.

Any recomendations for good mini prep bowls. I'm currently shopping for some and would love to here what other people use. Do you have lots of little ones or do you find that a variety of different sizes works better?
Thanks!

p.s. I love this blog!

On the subject of prep bowls, I recommend chinatown, if you access to one. Lots of bowls in various sizes and nice enough to be used on the table for sauces, toppings, etc.

If not, IKEA is always good. Nice glass bowls, again of varying sizes and cheap!

Hunter,
arcoroc has glass bowls in all sizes, from mini (will hold 3 tablespoons,good for chopped garlic or herbs) to large. They stack, even if they are the same size. Love these, use them, recommend.
I believe they can be found at all kitchen supply stores.

when i'm cooking a full meal, you know, main, side, salad, etc, i try to make sure one part can be done ahead of time, say, a cassarole that i can keep warm in the oven, or a soup that can cook for a long time on the back burner

and like everyone else: clean as you go, clean as you go, clean as you go
its the small kitchen mantra!

Mario Batali's nesting 5 piece mini prep bowl set works well for me in my tiny kitchen. They have full and half bowl measuring markers, and run about $10 at Sur La Table. Sometimes I'll use them to hold condiments at the table since they come in such cute colors. Also, the bowls are melamine, so they won't break if you happen to drop them while performing your kitchen sprint.

I am generally a messy person, but I have always been conversely fastidious when it comes to working in the kitchen. Dishes are another story. Prep, clean, assemble, clean, cook, clean, plate, clean--if I'm eating alone, all I want to see at the end of the meal are messy dishes in a clean kitchen.

I have also downgraded from a big kitchen with lots of counterspace to a bitty kitchen where I can stand in one place to grab everything. And I like it more than the big kitchens!

i know everyone has said it already -- but, clean as you go.

once you get into that drill, it comes automatically and naturally and what a difference it makes when you are ready to finally clean up!