Maintaining your kitchen has numerous benefits. Not only does it make cooking the next meal a less stressful affair, but it also ensures that your family is eating food cooked in a clean and hygienic setting. However, sometimes it can feel like a lot of effort to clean your kitchen, especially if you made an elaborate meal, have young children in the home, or are entertaining.
While most homeowners consider upgrading their cooking space with brand new Sydney kitchen renovations to make cooking even the most challenging recipe a pleasure and a breeze, others might prefer to instead install quality, well-made cooking equipment that makes the process of cleaning smooth and effortless. Here are some more ways to help you regularly maintain a clean kitchen.
8 Tried and Tested Kitchen Cleaning Tricks!
1. Clean as you go:
Instead of deciding to clean the mess after you have finished cooking, consider cleaning during each step of the process.
For instance, instead of waiting until you’ve finished sauteing your vegetables to throw away the peels or put remaining foods away, consider throwing away the peels right away, and pop other items you’re finished with away where they belong. This way, you won’t be left with a big mess at the end, and you’ll have a cleaner and more hygienic space to continue working in too.
Alternatively, you can invest in a medium to large-sized bowl and use it as a pit where you can collect the waste produced during the cooking process and keep emptying the bowl as you go.
2. Keep your counter space minimal:
Instead of placing all your spices, utensils, and knives on the counter, consider allocating specific spaces on the shelves for them. By doing this, you are freeing up space on the counter that can be used during the cooking process.
A cluttered counter space can be frustrating as you won’t have space to place utensils or ingredients while you are cooking, not to mention, it can be a hazard if there is not enough space to prepare food safely. Last-minute shifts can also lead to the misplacement of ingredients, making it difficult to find what you need when you need it.
3. Clean while you are waiting:
Instead of waiting to clean up after the food is cooked and the meal is eaten, consider utilising the cooking time to clean up. In between stirring or frying, you can get quite a bit done!
This is an incredibly productive way to ensure that your kitchen is getting the care and attention it needs while you wait. Additionally, it’s a much nicer experience to enjoy your meal without the cleanup looming!
4. Drain the water from the sink right away:
Having to scoop your hand into the sink to remove soggy food waste is pretty unpleasant! While it may sound like a basic and obvious thing to do, we can get in the habit of filling the sink while washing dishes.
Instead, continue to drain the water while you are doing the dishes. This will ensure that your sink is easier to clean after, and you do not have stagnant water left in the sink.
5. Wipe the sink after washing your utensils:
Dumping out food scraps and wiping the sink early on in the cooking process prevents scraps from sitting around and creating odours. Additionally, it will also prevent the sink surface from becoming slippery and being harder to clean later.
It also reduces the chances of stains from food or watermarks from building up. Wiping also prepares your sink to be used the next time.
6. Clean spills right away:
Dried-up gunk needs to be soaked or scraped before it can be removed. Many people find this pretty disgusting! So, make it a habit to attend to spills right away (even if you are in a hurry) instead of letting it go and taking longer he later you leave it to set in.
There are plenty of products (commercial as well as homemade) spill and grease removers that you can use to clean even the toughest of spills quickly and effectively.
7. Keep a designated spot for everything:
Instead of keeping your kitchen items on the counter, aim to allocate each item a specific spot out of sight. For example, if you have a lot of saucepans, allocate a drawer where they are arranged as per their size. Keep some select utensils on hand, but the rest in a drawer.
Arrange your spatulas separate from spoons and forks. Invest in a designated knife holder that keeps all your sharp and dull knives easy to find. If you have chopping boards of varying sizes, hang them on the wall for easy and quick access. If you have a wide range of spices and herbs, invest in an open shelf that keeps everything in view but off the benchtop.
Allocating a designated spot for everything ensures you know where to look when you are looking for a specific something. It also makes it easier for you to direct people where to look for a certain item instead of going through every drawer.
8. Create a schedule:
Getting down to cleaning the whole kitchen and rearranging items is daunting as well as tiring and not an efficient way to approach the process. Instead, plan to have set days for each task.
For instance, Mondays can be for arranging the pots and pans. Tuesdays can be for checking the pantry and getting rid of expired or empty containers. Wednesday can be about rearranging utensils used on an everyday basis, and Thursdays can be the day to clean out the fridge.
This will ensure you keep on top of things before they get out of control and overwhelming.
Parting Words
A clean kitchen can be a game changer in your cooking process. It makes cooking easier and more enjoyable even if you are in a hurry. However, busy Sydneysiders find it hard to find the time to keep on top of it can maintaining their kitchen. We hope these practical tips will help you keep your kitchen clean and hygienic without the overwhelm. Remember, a clean kitchen is the way to a healthy and hassle-free cooking experience!