9 Kitchen Hacks that Cut Cleanup Time in Half

Lots of us love channeling our inner cook in the kitchen! But once we’re finished creating our culinary masterpieces, we’re usually hit with the less fun task of cleaning up after ourselves. It’s often not an easy job, either. Food can be messy. Liquids splash, crumbs spill, and things like cheese and sauces can congeal and become almost impossible to wipe off pots, pans, and counters. Fortunately, there are some hacks you can try to cut down on your cleanup time. This, of course, gives you more time to eat the delicious food you just created, and to enjoy the company of anyone you’ve invited over to eat it with you. 

Decant Your Baking Ingredients

You can prevent spills by pouring many cooking and baking ingredients into containers made just to hold them. Ingredients like flour often come in flimsy bags from the grocery store that easily develop holes or leaks. 

This switch also helps the prep process, as it’s easier to measure and pour baking soda and powder, chocolate chips, coconut, and many other ingredients from jars than from their original packages.

Line Everything

Use a liner whenever you can between your food and the baking surface. When your food is done cooking, simply throw out the liner, and your baking surface remains clean. 

Line cookie sheets and casserole pans with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Line the inside of your air fryer pan with parchment paper. Use disposable liners created just for your slow cooker or Instant Pot before adding the ingredients for your soups, stews, or other dishes. 

Prep Ahead of Time

Prepare all of your ingredients before you need them for cooking. Get out everything you’ll need, measure out all ingredients, and chop, peel, or prep, placing everything near the stove or wherever you’ll be cooking. Having everything out, organized, and ready to be added to your dish can prevent the spills and mess that sometimes come from trying to do too many things at once. 

Do Like Tasks Together

Do similar tasks, like chopping, all in a row, so you only need one space and set of tools at a time. You can also plan these tasks to begin with the least messy and finish with the messiest. Begin by chopping vegetables like cucumbers that only require a quick rinse of the utensils afterward. Finish with ingredients like raw chicken that require more intense cleaning. 

Clean As You Go

Clean up messes and spills immediately when they happen. As many liquids, like sauces, dry, they can become harder to clean later. You can also wash dishes as you get them dirty, so you won’t have a huge pile waiting for you at the end of your cooking session. Or add them to the dishwasher as you finish with them, so that when you’re finished cooking, you can simply turn it on. 

Create a Drop Zone for Dirty Dishes

Have one spot where you put all of the dirty dishes as you cook. They’ll all be concentrated in one place, rather than spread across your kitchen when you’re done. 

Soak Stubborn Dishes

If you have dishes with caked-on or tough-to-remove food, soak them as soon as you’re finished using them. Soaking dishes can soften dried food or baked-on cheese, making it easier to remove. Soak the dishes in hot water with a little bit of dish soap, for at least 15 to 20 minutes – although you can leave them to soak longer if you’re still busy cooking. 

Consider Batch Cooking

One way to lessen your kitchen cleanup time is to spend less time in the kitchen! Make double batches of dinners or desserts and refrigerate or freeze the extra. You’ll make much less of a mess reheating food than you would cooking from scratch each time. 

Use Trays or Mats

When I’m icing cookies, I always put a cookie sheet under my cooling rack. If icing runs off, it’s easier to wash my cookie sheet than scrub down the counter. Trays and mats also work well under toaster ovens, dishes that might overflow as they bake, or at coffee stations where grounds might get spilled.

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