How to Make Dinner Dishes Less Stressful

Some people are very messy cooks. By the time dinner is ready, the kitchen has become a disaster of a mess.

Then there are those, like my husband, who wash the dishes between every single step (measure out vanilla, wash the spoon, measure out flour, wash the cup, measure out sugar, wash the cup), etc.  I think that there is, and should be, a happy medium between these two. It is possible to be a good cook and to not end the cooking process in a war zone.

   This is, however, a learned skill. Do not expect to jump in, make an effort, and immediately be successful. This may take time, so be patient with yourself.  Success in this endeavor also depends upon the recipe that you are making. If you have never made something before, don't expect to be able to do much cleaning as you go. But, after you have made something a couple of times, once you have built up your repertoire of recipes, you can start trying to multi-task a bit without either wrecking your dinner or your sanity.

Here are some tips to help you along the way.

Start with a clean kitchen.
   Empty out the drying rack and/or dishwasher so that they are ready for you to quickly add in new things as you go.


Use your cooking down-time to do some cleaning.
  The onions are sauteing, wash some utensils that you are done using. The soup is thickening and you need to stir it once in a while, put away a couple of spices, etc.

Don't wait to put your ingredients away.
   If you have finished with several items that go in the pantry, take a second between stirs to put them back. If you are walking to the fridge to get something out, see if there is something that you can put back in.

Be motion minded.
   Be able to do as much as you can in the fewest number of motions. If I just washed my hands at the sink and I need to stir the soup, I can easily grab the dry spatulas, wooden spoon, and whisk and put them away in the canister next to my stove.

Be aware of the season of life.
   If you love to cook and make exotic dishes, but you have four hungry kids wanting to eat and then get to bed, this might be the time to settle for a casserole, soup, or crockpot meal. (Though, some crockpot meals are really TERRIBLE, so be careful of your recipes.  I try to avoid "dump" soups---as in, just open a bunch of cans and dump it all in---as they never taste very good.  Here is one example of a good crockpot meal). Meals such as these are great because they allow you take a 10-15 minutes between the end of dinner prep and the actual eating, to clean up as much as you can. It is very satisfying to finish a meal and know that all I have to clean up, is what is on the table.


Start Small!
 Baby steps. If you are a messy cook, try washing a few things along the way. Don't jump in gun-ho and try to have a perfect kitchen before you sit down to eat.


Remember that how much you are able to clean up beforehand, depends on what you are making for dinner. Anytime that I make mash potatoes and gravy, the kitchen seems to look like a blivet hit it when I sit down. Any little bit helps. You are doing this for yourself. The cleaner the kitchen is BEFORE you eat, the sooner you can get out of it AFTER.