It is no secret that the least fun part of cooking is the cleaning up. It is also no secret that the best way to minimize stress while cooking is to maintain a clean and tidy work station. Though this may seem simple enough in theory, it doesn’t always work in practice. It’s actually very easy to be completely immersed in the kitchen, doing your thing, keeping up the momentum, and then suddenly you look up and realise you have a ton of cleaning up to do, at which point, the joy of cooking somehow dissipates. To any of you that struggle with this, this blog post is for you!

The solution is simple; clean as you go, and stay organised. Much like anything else in life, if you master these two things, the task of cooking and cleaning will no longer seem as daunting, and your urge to order takeout at dinnertime will gradually become a thing of the past. Still wondering how? Read on for yufeed’s tips on how to keep a clean and tidy kitchen when cooking:

How to Keep a Clean & Tidy Work Station when Cooking

1. Maintain a tidy prep station: Whether you’re chopping your vegetables or mixing your sauces, make sure every component is neatly organised, kept in bowls, or put away as soon as you’re done. Tidy up before moving from one thing to the next and reduce clutter by making sure you only have what you need in front of you and nothing else.
2. Discard as you go: Whether you have your sink, a bin or a large bowl handy, be sure to discard anything you aren’t using as you go, and don’t let the mess of vegetable peels, food packaging and spilled liquid take over your work station. This mess automatically creates a stressful space that quickly deters you from getting the job done. So, before moving on to the next component, remove any food items you aren’t using, toss out or put away any open jars, packaging or cartons and wipe down your work surface. Trust us, this will help you so much down the line!
3. Wash as you go: Though this may seem difficult to do when you’re in the midst of food prep, it is an important step to follow. Don’t wait until you’re an hour or two into cooking before realizing that you have a ton dishes and pots to clean. Instead, during the prep phase, transfer anything you’re no longer using to the kitchen sink, and either rinse them off and transfer to a dishwasher or wash them thoroughly and leave them on a rack to dry. Alternatively, you can use any ‘active cooking’ time in the kitchen to wash anything you have sitting in the sink and put them away. This will significantly reduce the time you spend cleaning after cooking is done.
4. Plan your meals ahead of time: As with most yufeed tips, planning ahead always comes into play. Though this applies to everyone, it is particularly helpful on the days when you don’t have anyone to help you. So, once you have your meals planned out for the week, take some time to prep as many of the components of the dishes you plan to make and store them away in airtight containers for when they’re ready to go. This way, on the day you plan to cook, you’ll only have to prepare your mise-en-place and actually enjoy the active cooking part, because much of the prep work has already been taken care of. This again leaves you with much less cleaning up to do once you’re done.
5. End with a clean kitchen: Once all the cooking is done, don’t wait to clean up. If you’ve followed our steps, then you shouldn’t be left with much in the end. Be sure to wash up anything that’s sitting in the sink and put it away, wipe down your surfaces once again, take the garbage out, sweep the floor and enjoy waking up in the morning to a clean kitchen.

There you have it; 5 simple ways to maintain order in the kitchen, to prepare meals in a stress-free environment and to learn to love cooking once again! Any tips we missed that you care to share? Please do so in the comments.