Home cooking can be a difficult task. The average individual may find cooking and cleaning at the same, a hassle. However, there are some ways you can learn to help you improve your daily cooking and be efficient in the kitchen. So here are some of them that you can start using after reading this article.
Table of Contents
Prepare
In some ways of our life, we need preparation or training to succeed. Whether we are running a half marathon or have to do a monthly report in our office, we still need to prepare for the event. Preparing ahead of time can save you a lot of time and keep you safe in the kitchen from accidents. How do we prepare?
- Mise en place: It is a word from the French meaning “everything in its place.” This method is reasonably easy to do. Just go through the list of ingredients in your recipe book and prepare them as instructed before cooking. When everything is made, you won’t have to make such a mess in your kitchen. This eliminates the anxiety that cooking sometimes induces when you forgot to put an ingredient in the pot. Having a garbage bowl near you while preparing your ingredients can also go a long way when it’s time to clean. So keep that in mind.
- Cook with safety in mind: You might ask, “Why is it under “Preparation”? One aspect of preparing is to be able to anticipate accidents and be able to avoid them. We’ll present two simple ways to be safe in the kitchen:
- Keep your knife sharp: keeping it sharpened is the safest way to cut your ingredients. You don’t have to worry about putting in your weight and find the knife slipping sideways. You’ll be lucky enough if it slips away from your fingers. A sharp knife can get the job done, and you’ll still have five fingers in your hands.
- Use a wet tablecloth or paper towel: Ever find your chopping board rocking or slipping in any direction while slicing away your ingredients? Don’t worry an easy way to stop your board from running away from you is to put a wet paper towel underneath it. Your chopping board won’t be able to run away from you again.
Cook
Now that you have prepared everything, it is time to cook! Here is when all of that preparation comes in handy. As you go to the cooking process, you can easily pick up the next ingredient on the list without fumbling through your kitchen preparing the next one. You can see the difference right away in the effect of mise en place. You do not have a big mess to clean afterward.
However, while cooking, you can’t avoid spills. So wipe the spills right away to prevent them from attracting unwanted guests. This keeps your kitchen sanitary throughout the cooking process. Keeping your household safe from sickness brought about pests lured to your kitchen.
Wash pots, pans, and dishes when possible. Either in between cooking time or after preparing the ingredients. Little details like this stack up during the process, and you will notice after cooking that you don’t have to clean a lot of the things you used. Which makes the next transition in cooking a lot easier.
Plating your food when it is done is necessary. Prepare the plate or plates that you want to use for your masterpiece ahead of time too. This can help you avoid getting distracted around your kitchen looking for that right plate. Now prepare that sumptuous food you just cooked and plate it like Chef Gordon Ramsay is eating it.
Clean
The very last stage of cooking is cleaning. This is a must. A necessity, some might say. This is where your health and safety really matters. Because if you don’t clean right after, you will attract pests that can bring sickness to your home. Even a small area of your kitchen where you have not cleaned right after cooking can be tempting for cockroaches and rats.
Where to start? It seems that we have a lot of ground to cover, and the food is getting cold. Don’t worry, just like what we’ve been talking about in this article, preparation and organization will bear fruit in this stage.
Here is how you can organize your aftercare:
- Stove: Start with your stove. Wipe away grease and spills with a solution of soapy water. Spray it all over, and let it sit for a few seconds to let the soap do its job. After that, wipe it with a wet cloth, then followed a dry one. Rinse, wash, repeat until your stove looks good.
- Kitchen utensils: Put everything in or beside your kitchen sink to wash; the pots, pans, and plates you used for cooking your food. Pour boiling water into your pot or pan to help you clean them. After washing and drying, wipe and put them back in place.
- Kitchen sink: Make sure to clean your sink and clear it from food debris to avoid clogging your pipes in the future. It is also advisable to do drain cleaning maintenance once a year in order to avoid clogging and keeping your sink stink-free and sanitary.
Level Up
The next time you cook, try the mise en place method for yourself. You’ll see with your own eyes how much you’ve improved in your daily cooking and cleaning. How you approach things when it comes to preparation and aftercare. Remember, cooking stress-free is very much possible.
