Ways to Stay Clean and Organized in the Kitchen
Working in the kitchen, whether you’re in a restaurant atmosphere or at home, it can get pretty messy. Spills happen, foods splatter and pieces or scraps end up on the floor. Especially if you’re working with items that require different utensils each time, cooking can leave a major mess.
But with a few simple tips, you’ll be able to keep yourself and the kitchen clean and organized while cooking away. Whether it’s quickly wiping up a spill right then or organizing before you even begin, little steps will go a long way.
Dress Up
Dressing up doesn’t have to mean stepping out in your best black-tie attire. In this case, dressing up means dressing for the part – a chef. Look for quality chef shirts that not only keep you clean but protect your body as well.
A bonus with these shirts, many have pockets that you can use to your advantage. Put things like a thermometer in your pocket if you find yourself looking for it all the time.
Pre-Clean Your Space
It will be hard to keep your working space clean if it’s already dirty at the start, let alone have room to cook at all. Before you begin, wipe down the counters, unload the dishwasher or hand wash any dishes laying around and make sure all the utensils you’ll be using are ready to go. Not only will this get you organized and prepared to start cooking, but it will also help avoid any cross-contamination.
Throw Garbage Out Right Away
It may seem like an extra step having to go to the trash can each time, but if you throw your garbage out right away, you’ll avoid a big pile up for the end. Help keep your kitchen organized and sanitary by simply tossing away items as soon as they turn into trash.
Have a Specific Cleaning Towel
Designate one towel or rag as the cleanup one. Rather than going through sheets of paper towel and building up the garbage, one cloth can be reused multiple times to clean up spills. Rinse it out and hang to the side when you don’t need it, but keep it nearby.
Wipe Up Right Away
Since you have your cleaning rag handy, wipe up any spills right when they happen. Don’t say you’ll come back to it after because it more than likely will have dried by then.
Wiping up a hardened sticky mess will be way harder than a quick clean up right when it happens. This will also avoid anything falling into the spill that could make it even bigger.
Use Your Time Wisely
If you have downtime, whether you’re waiting for a pot to boil or the oven to reheat, utilize this moment to get ahead of the game. Multitasking in the kitchen is the key to success so start your tidy up early while waiting for items to cook.
Even if you use these tips and your kitchen is still a disaster at the end, don’t worry – it happens to the best of chefs. But by following some of these pointers, they’ll help make your job a little easier at the end.
