My kitchen never quite passes inspection except maybe after Thanksgiving dinner when everyone is too full of turkey and libation to waddle over and notice the clutter and the dirt. For some strange gravitational reason, guests often find their way to the kitchen and enter even if a sign tells them not to dare under pain of monsters unknown. Since we can’t keep them out, the question remains: How can we transform our kitchens into an experience that isn’t reminiscent of scenes from horror movies? Surely there must be something we can do! Consider the following options:
1. Clear the sink (and decks) of all dishes pans, wayward sailors and other assorted junk before starting the meal. This will be your North Star among the mess and serve as a reminder of how organized things can be (maybe).
2. Clean as you cook. (I do this and it does make a difference.) Put away ingredients after you use them, wash pots and dishes and rinse bowls. In this manner, it all gets incorporated in the cooking process and is not left for the end of it all (when you don’t feel like doing it anyway).
3. Fill the food processor bowl only up to the bottom of the white-capped head of the blade to prevent messy spillovers.
4. Avoid unnecessary splatters by using a very large bowl and placing it in the sink whenever whipping cream, tossing salads or beating batter. Use big pots when making heavy sauces for the same reason.
5. Consider lining the bottom of the refrigerator drawers with paper towels. They not only absorb spills but also make cleaning up a lot easier. Keep a platter next to the cook top to rest a coated spoon or for food-to-pan, pan-to-food or even messy pan-to mouth transfers.
Will all these things make a difference in YOUR kitchen? Probably only your guests can say. I for one have found the solution that works for me.
I avoid guests as much as possible.
Do YOU have a kitchen mess story to tell? Please share.
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