Do You ALWAYS Clean Your Kitchen As You Go?

[Cronker]

I mean, I'm not a professional chef by any stretch- but I've worked with some very great ones, and they always instill the idea of "clean as you go."

even when you are cooking at home for a few friends, or a larger party, do you follow this practice?

does your significant other clean up after you?

do you just throw it all in the dishwasher for later?

do you have a butler's pantry?

 

so, I guess, the question is - does cleaning up become part of your plan for a meal, or can you enjoy with everyone else?

discuss

Edited May 24, 2017 by Smithy
Adjusted title (log)

[gfweb]

Clean as I go while cooking. Clean up dishes after everybody leaves.

[liuzhou]

I can see that "clean as you go" would be pretty much obligatory in a pro kitchen. I'm less sure of its absolute necessity in a domestic setting.

 

Yes, I generally try to at least tidy up as I go, dumpling peelings, trimmings, etc maybe wiping some surfaces etc but I'm not obsessive about it.

 

I  would never ruin a dish or meal by cleaning up instead of paying attention to the cooking and I certainly wouldn't be so rude as to ignore guests to make sure of a pristine post cook kitchen.

 

There is always after dinner or even next day for a full clean.

 

Edited May 25, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

Depends. Ideally I clean as I go.  In reality sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.   It is much more likely to happen if I have made sure that the dishwasher is empty before I even begin cooking.  

[chileheadmike]

even when you are cooking at home for a few friends, or a larger party, do you follow this practice?

Yes, makes me crazy to cook in an unorganized mess.

 

does your significant other clean up after you?

I'm too much of a control freak and she's too haphazard when putting away pots/pans/glasses/dishes. She offers, but I try to do it myself. Otherwise, when she's out of the house, I'll go back and reorganize. 

 

do you just throw it all in the dishwasher for later?

I load it and set the timer to when I won't have to listen to it.

 

do you have a butler's pantry?

I don't know what that is, so probably not. 

[cakewalk]

21 minutes ago, chileheadmike said:

even when you are cooking at home for a few friends, or a larger party, do you follow this practice?

Yes, makes me crazy to cook in an unorganized mess.

Bingo. I wash pots and pans as I'm cooking in case I'll need them again, or just to get them out of the way. If people are coming over I try to make sure the kitchen is organized before they get there - especially that there's nothing in the sink. Also, my kitchen is way smaller than a butler's pantry, Organization is key.

[kayb]

I try to clean as I go -- start out with an empty dishwasher, and rinse and load as used, wash out pots and pans and leave to drain. I have too small a kitchen to do otherwise.

 

[lindag]

I've gotten lazier over the years and not as picky as I used to be.

Now I clean as I go UNTIL dinner's over and I frequently leave the dirty dishes/pots until morning.

[Darienne]

I am a chaotic cook and my kitchen always looks like a cyclone hit it when I am cooking.  Even when I do a complete mise ahead of time. And that's that.  If folks are here for a meal...I try to keep the mess to a minimum...but then I seldom actually cook an entire meal when company comes.   Pretty much it's something thawed which I made when no one was coming.  Sorry.  That's the way it is.  I have very limited energy now and we still have a lot of company.

DH is far more organized when he's cooking.  And he does all the short-order stuff like bacon and eggs, etc.  And he is the only one allowed to load the dishwasher.  End of story on that one.

Oddly enough, I am super organized in the rest of my life...and DH is the most unorganized person you could imagine (which drives me crazy with regularity).  Now you all know more than you wanted to know...

[liuzhou]

I am the dishwasher.

[paulraphael]

100% always. Lose my mind otherwise.

 

I don't even want help in the kitchen from someone who isn't cleaning as they go. I end up cleaning up after them and it would be faster if they weren't there.

"The best way to help mommy," as they say, "is to stay out of her way.

 

Edited to add: cleaning as you go can end when you've plated the food, assuming you're eating with everyone else (and not diving into making the next course). There's no point in letting the sauce congeal on the plates as everything gets cold because you're obsessively scrubbing the last pan of the evening.

Edited May 24, 2017 by paulraphael (log)

[Cyberider]

I don't want to have a giant mess to clean at one time so I clean as I go. 

[sparrowgrass]

Clean as I go, always.  Start with an empty dishwasher and a sink full of hot soapy water.  By the time I am ready to plate, everything is either washed or in the dishwasher, except for the pots and pans I cooked in.  They are scraped and set in the sink.  I cannot abide waking up to a dirty kitchen.

 

[cakewalk]

16 minutes ago, sparrowgrass said:

I cannot abide waking up to a dirty kitchen.

 

That's a biggie for me, too. When I go for that first cup of coffee in the morning, I do not want to do battle with anything from the night before!

[Arey]

I try to clean as I go because I have such limited counter space.The only overnight object in the kitchen sink is the tea cup from after dinner which  will go in the dishwasher in the morning.  Since I live alone and am only cooking for one  I try to keep messes under control because i know who's going to get stuck with the cleanup  The kitchen floor is an entirely different matter.  If I had a dog the floor would be cleaner, but i have a cat who's a picky eater and scatters his kibble all over.  Anybody have any suggestions as to how to keep a kitchen floor clean when you're a senior senior citizen with arthritis.  There is a woman I pay a couple of times a year to do the floor and ONLY the floor but then I have to clean up the after her especially the countertops.

Edited May 24, 2017 by Arey (log)

[Anna N]

15 minutes ago, Arey said:

I try to clean as I go because I have such limited counter space.The only overnight object in the kitchen sink is the tea cup from after dinner which  will go in the dishwasher in the morning.  Since I live alone and am only cooking for one  I try to keep messes under control because i know who's going to get stuck with the cleanup  The kitchen floor is an entirely different matter.  If I had a dog the floor would be cleaner, but i have a cat who's a picky eater and scatters his kibble all over.  Anybody have any suggestions as to how to keep a kitchen floor clean when you're a senior senior citizen with arthritis.  There is a woman I pay a couple of times a year to do the floor and ONLY the floor but then I have to clean up the after her especially the countertops.

 

One word: Roomba.  Don't be scared by the retail prices. Hang out in thrift stores long enough and you will find one or more. I have found three that way and I could not live without a Roomba.   You may have to fork out $50 for a new battery but it will last a long time.   I have an elderly cat as a guest at the moment and we both suffer from old age and arthritis.  She scatters kibble and cat litter everywhere.  She does not like the Roomba but I do!  

Edited May 24, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[Tri2Cook]

I keep things cleaned as I go at work. I try to at home... but there are those days when it ends up being "clean when I get around to it". But knowing I have to clean up my mess has taught me to not make too much mess in the first place.

[scubadoo97]

Like most here, I clean as I go for the most part. 

[Arey]

Will a roomba do  a vinyl kitchen floor with splatters and spills. I mean the small ones that you don't notice until later not the big ones which I clean up immediately. Usually by throwing a damp paper towel on the floor and then swishing it around with my foot.  I have my own variation of the five second rule which is the 5 inch rule. Any food that gets within 5 inches of the floor gets thrown out. Although I did once rinse off a cooked steak and pat it dry.  But it was late and I was hungry, and I was younger and the floor was cleaner..

[Anna N]

19 minutes ago, Arey said:

Will a roomba do  a vinyl kitchen floor with splatters and spills. I mean the small ones that you don't notice until later not the big ones which I clean up immediately. Usually by throwing a damp paper towel on the floor and then swishing it around with my foot.  I have my own variation of the five second rule which is the 5 inch rule. Any food that gets within 5 inches of the floor gets thrown out. Although I did once rinse off a cooked steak and pat it dry.  But it was late and I was hungry, and I was younger and the floor was cleaner..

 Thought you were mainly concerned with spilled kibble. There are roombas that will wash your floor  but I have never owned one so I can't comment on their efficacy.  On the matter of the steak….How about a lamb chop dropped one story down onto the lower neighbour's concrete patio? Retrieved by @Kerry Beal without missing a beat. Don't know whether she ate it or I ate it but we're both here to tell the tale. 

[Cronker]

After my morning shower and getting dressed, my first task is always emptying the dishwasher - for whatever the day ahead may task. Even before my first coffee.

i always load as I go - I hate clutter on the counter and can't abide things in the sink.

another question I have, on this:

i have an ancient mixing bowl handed down to me from my dearly deceased mother, and I wouldn't think to put it in a dishwasher - it was made well before such appliances were made.  There are other items I have that will never see the inside of a dishwasher.

if you have items such as this, do you hand wash before bed?

[ElainaA]

For me, one of the great benefits of retirement is NOT hand washing before bed. The dishwasher gets loaded, pans get filled with water to soak, the kitchen light gets turned off and I will deal with it in the morning. After a nice dinner the last thing I want to do is stand at the sink. After breakfast works just fine for me.

[ElsieD]

I do not clean as I go (hangs head in shame).  But, I do have a husband who comes in from time to time as I'm cooking and he cleans up after me.  Sometimes more than once.  He cleans as he goes.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I do clean up as I go. I grew up in much bigger kitchens than I have now, although most people would think I have a lot of counter and cabinet space. I tend to use it all and can't stand to be cramped. I try to keep the counters clear of all but what I'm currently working on and I need nothing in both stainless sinks to feel comfortable cooking. Perhaps this is the reason I always come in over the estimated times if a recipe offers them. I guess they don't account for clearing up, so it apparently makes me a slow cook, but a happier one.

 

I'm another one that never leaves the kitchen dirty for any longer than it takes to eat the meal and have guests, if any, leave. With this climate, anyone who keeps a dirty kitchen will soon be infested with a number of uninvited insect guests. The dishwasher is either empty or empty enough that it will accommodate all the dishes I'll use before I start cooking.

 

I can't put out food that I'm confident will be safe and where I'll be comfortable cooking in the environment if the kitchen isn't clean before I start and while I'm cooking. I leave cooking pans until the meal has been served and eaten but then get up and immediately clean everything unless I have guests, and still I can't completely relax until everything is pristine again. Once it is, my work is done here, and I can enjoy my life again.

[robirdstx]

Yes, I clean as I go. It is usually just the two of us. After we eat, I take care of any leftovers and my husband does the final clean up, including the stovetop and counters, and dries and puts away any hand washed items. We typically run the dishwasher at night and it gets emptied at some point during the day, if not just before I start the dinner prep.