The kitchen is a busy place. If you have a large family, even more so. People coming and going. Opening cupboards and the fridge to look for food. Leaving dishes in the sink to be washed. It’s easy to let the hustle and bustle get in the way of efficiency.
But this only causes more problems later on. Imagine: the kitchen is a mess, so what are you to do at dinner time? Clean it before cooking? Waste time searching for items or ingredients that have been moved? All of this hassle could cause even the most passionate of cooks to lose their love of food.
Fortunately, there are ways to beat these issues. One of the best methods is to improve efficiency and productivity in the kitchen. The three tips outlined below will help you do just that.
Practice Mise en Place (Everything in Its Place)
Mise en place is a French term. Meaning “putting in place” of “setup,” it refers to the preparations – both in terms of ingredients and tools – needed before cooking. This is known as a foundational principle in cooking. However, if your kitchen is frequently disheveled, then you need some assistance in practicing this rule.
There are numerous benefits to living by this phrase. In the kitchen, it could reduce cooking time drastically, enhance focus, and improve hygiene and safety. Not only that, but you might manage to become more consistent with your cooking. Having pre-chopped ingredients, for example, ensures they are uniform in size and will be cooked at the same rate.
It is best to read the recipe thoroughly before cooking. Mise en place means having all the ingredients and tools on hand before beginning. You will only be able to do this if you’ve read the recipe ahead of time.
Follow the “Clean as You Go” Tactic
No one enjoys dealing with the pile of dishes at the end of a meal, especially not when the pots and pans from cooking are there, too. Clean as you go – or CLAYGO in some circles – is a good strategy to use. It’s as simple as it sounds – you just clean as you cook.
Similar to practicing mise en place, cleaning as you go saves a lot of time. A later cleaning session would be much more tedious and time-consuming than smaller, regular cleanups. Plus, you would dodge the “post-meal dread” that is typically associated with a messy kitchen.
Using your time wisely here will be more efficient. When water is boiling, meat is resting, or food is in the oven, don’t sit down. Instead, use this time to wash bowls and the cutting board, put away ingredients you are finished with, and wipe surfaces down.
Heck, if you have a sharpening stone, you might even ensure your knives are ready for chopping. Sure, this isn’t a cleaning task, but future-you will be thankful for the forward planning.
Utilize Smart Storage and Batch Cooking
While you could use batch cooking or smart storage, using them together creates a highly efficient kitchen. Daily labor and food waste are reduced, and the meals you cook might even be healthier. Of course, getting into this habit is a tough one, but it would be incredibly worthwhile.
Whether you bulk meal prep or just prepare ingredients, you will be saving time. The choice just depends on your preferences. You are encouraged to cook twice as much as you will be needing, though – just freeze the food you won’t be eating that week. Anything you do cook should be cooled quickly before covering and storing in clear, stackable containers.
All meals and ingredients that are cooked should be labelled clearly. Mark the dish name and the date it was cooked. This helps you use the “first-in, first-out” method, preventing waste.
To conclude, there are numerous ways to improve efficiency in the kitchen, but the three tips detailed here are the simplest. You don’t need to make drastic changes, as this shows, to reap the benefits.
