Are you a messy cook?

[Madeyoulook]

I’m a nightmare. There is only me and a teenager for tea tonight and the kitchen (tiny) is a complete mess.

I’ve used the air fryer, the oven, the microwave, one ring on the hob and the kettle!

I’ve got everything out everywhere. I’ve also got to wash a saucepan, a casserole dish, a gravy dish, three bowls, the air fryer tray, a plate, two glasses and multiple utensils. Then scrape the leftovers into the caddy and put it out for bin day tomorrow, empty and fill the dishwasher and wipe all the surfaces.

Is that messy or normal?

It’s only 5.30 and I’m exhausted!

What did you cook? I need to know!

I'm very messy but also really hate mess, particularly food mess so work really hard against my natural untidiness in the kitchen.

I also cannot stand the phrase 'clean as you go' despite it being good advice.

Yes, fairly messy, but dh always clears up the kitchen. He doesn’t cook - so it’s fair division of labour in this house. I much prefer the cooking to the clearing up.

No, can't bear to be left with a messy/dirty kitchen after a meal so I clear and put away as I go along. Bizarrely the rest of the house is a tip

Sometimes if my arthritis is bad and I have nobody home to clean up. Usually the cook doesn't clean but usually I do scrape scraps directly into the compost bin and wipe surfaces as I go along. If your teen is able to help you, get them to lend a hand and or clean up.

Same here. I can't cook in a messy kitchen. And I couldn't sit down to eat unless most things were loaded into the dishwasher and the kitchen pretty tidy.

I am exactly the same. My sister comes to clean for me on fri, by Sat morning I have a bowl full of washing up. Madness as I live alone . Use a clean mug, spoon etc everytime I make.a cup of tea😨

I'm a very tidy cook. I prep all the ingredients beforehand (assuming I'm making something with lots of ingredients), and clean as I go.

Most nights if I'm making a curry, bolognese or lasagne, the only thing left to clean is the pot it's served in and the serving spoon.

I'm an ex chef. "Clean as you go" is drummed into us. I'm very tidy and only use a small amount of worktop space.

I clean as I go along so by the time dinner is done, there is nothing out on the sides except the plates with the food on.
Mess stresses me out too much.

Wow, nothing on the sides when dinner is served. That’s what I’m aiming for!

God, that sounds so stressful.

My Mum drummed into me to tidy up and put away as you go, and I do get a bit stressed if there’s too much out and too much mess.

I almost always have a clear bench by the time I serve dinner.

Very, kitchen looks like a bomb has gone off when I cook

I'm a tidy cook. DH is not. When we first moved in together we decided that we'd have the routine that one of us would cook, the other would clear up. It didn't take me long to realise I got the worse end of the deal, so ir rapidly got changed to whoever cooks does the clearing up. Much better.

I tend to do stuff while it's cooking
So if I'm boiling potatoes, I'm washing up the chopping board, or grating cheese or wiping the sides. Also have a bag/box whatever that all peels and rubbish go in and rinse tins as I use them, stuff like that

Yes, good old Miss Wylie always told us the first thing we should do is run a bowl of hot soapy water.

One way to do it, is believe it or not, to use more crockery.

When you see chefs on TV they have everything measured out in little bowls or on plates .

Do that before you start, so there is no packet of flour and a set of scales out, there is the measured amount of flour in a bowl / dish.

Stack the dishes in the sink or in the dishwasher as you use them.

I'm a disaster. Disorganised and messy. I'm like this in every area of my life though. I would love to be tidy. I have tried. But I can't. I think the environment I'm in reflects the mess inside my brain😅

I've gotten better over the years. Also having a kitchen with a tiny amount of counter space has forced me to tidy more as I go.

But the biggest thing is probably what I learned from watching cookery shows like masterchef! It's the 'mise en place' step which is 'putting everything in place' to cook.

Basically, spend a bit of time at before you turn anything on planning and preparing.

What pots and other equipment do you need? Get them out and ready to go. Does anything need to be washed because someone used it at lunch and it's in the dishwasher? Is there a section of counter top clear so you have room to prep and cook?

What produce do you need and how does it need to be prepped? Find your ingredients and gather the right quantities.

What needs to be prepped before you start (chopping onions for the sauce, measuring 5 types of spice out for a curry, trimming the meat, peeling 10 potatoes, etc) and what can be done during the cooking or after one component is started (crushing a clove of garlic in, opening tins of tomatoes, etc).

l find the effect of planning and prepping is a calmer cook, less faffing and more time to clean between steps. After prepping what you need before starting, clear away the peelings. After you add the chopped onions and spices, pop the bowl in the dishwasher, etc.

It would never occur to me to weigh out and chop everything in advance then tidy all the utensils away and wipe around before I cook but that’s a good idea.

I'm a bad cook but I'm not messy!

I clear up and wash up as I go along. My kitchen is small, so I do not have the luxury of using lots of items at the same time.

I do it as I go along and also do what @SnooozyTree does. This gives me time to wash up/fill dishwasher/set table etc in between cooking steps.

It really helps.

I'm a very messy cook but have done well with training myself to do some clearing as I go. If I'm alone the kitchen is a state after!

And you can pretend you are a TV chef at the same time.