Doing dishes is one of those jobs that must get done, even when it’s the last thing we want to do. I think it’s safe to say that we all want to know how to do dishes less often and more efficiently, so today we are going to share a few tips with you to do just that!
One Pot Meals
Post cooking clean up accounts for much of the mess in the kitchen. This can include pots, pans, and cooking utensils, all of which can be a pain to clean. To make life easier focus on making one-pot meals in either a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or skillet. There are tons of recipes out there for just these types of meals that you can even serve right from the cooking vessel. This makes clean up much easier as you only have one thing to clean! Who doesn’t like that?
Reduce and Clean As You Go
One of our all-time favorite tips and one we practice religiously is to clean as we cook. There are many reasons this tip is great but the main reason we like it so much is that it makes cleanup manageable and after the meal is done you can actually relax knowing you don’t have a whole pile of dishes to scrub. Also remember that if you are cooking a bunch of items you don’t need different utensils for each pot unless cooking raw meat. Simply rinse between stirs and you are good to use the same spoon or spatula for each dish. While your food is cooking use the downtime to do any cleanup that has accumulated.
Keep It Simple
Unless you are throwing a dinner party there is no need to make a big production out of serving your meal. The idea is to get dinner on the table and off again as painlessly as possible. To do this, simply serve out of your cooking vessels. Just put a trivet down and mind the heat of the pan while serving. If you are indeed having guests over or want to serve your meal on serving dishes, keep things easy by simply covering any leftover on the serving dish with tin foil or plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. This way you aren’t dirtying another dish or container that you will just have to clean later. Alternatively, you can use a storage container as your means to serve your food. Either way you are eliminating an item to clean. The last serving option is to simply have everyone come into the kitchen and load their plates buffet style from the cooking vessels.
Soak It and Forget It
This one has been discussed before but it is worth repeating. To make after-dinner cleanup even easier remember to soak your cooking vessels while you eat. Just toss in some warm water and dish soap (and some baking soda if it’s really stubborn), leave it and then after your meal all you need to do is give it a quick rinse, a little scrub, and you are good to go!
That’s all for now, but remember if you work smarter not harder then you will be sure to eliminate some of that dish work and make doing dishes a bit more bearable.
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Great tip. It actually helped my wife keeping the kitchen clean
My sister sent me this because I’ve mentioned not liking to wash dishes. Was disappointed as it mentioned a DW~which I don’t have. Washing dishes that can’t be put in the DW is one thing but having to wash ALL the dishes is another matter . . .
I always wash everything by hand and it is the worst and horrible chore in the house help me get it done fast and fun
Although after many years as a loyal dishwasher user, I no longer use a dishwasher at all. However, when I did the serrated knives were the only ones allowed in the washer. It is true that your “good” knives, not only need sharpened more, but they don’t get dried right away. The finest microscopic nick, anywhere on the blade, will begin to oxidize and eventually rust beyond repair. Finally, and probably the MAIN reason for not putting my knives into the dishwasher is because when an early teen, my baby brother climbed onto the door of the opened dishwasher and while I ran to get my family to come see how “cute” it was, he managed to get the sharpest knife out of the very back basket and drop it onto his tiny little foot. 101 stitches later, I and all dishwashers are scarred for life!
I have a knife/cutting board set by Wolfgang Puck that was gifted to me. Honestly, I know that the knives should be washed by hand, but I normally just stick them in the dishwasher (I know, I know… it’s terrible. I’m so bad). My husband has a very expensive, high quality knife set that he had to purchase for his culinary classes. I don’t even touch those, as I’m too afraid of damaging them. Those knives get washed by hand, by him. I don’t go near them.
I use an emptied spice container (one with holes in the top for sprinkling) to put my baking soda in and keep it by the sink for quick access.
And
I add rice to my salt shakers to draw moisture away from the salt to keep it free flowing for those humid days in the kitchen.
The warranty on my knives is voided if I put them in the dishwasher. Plus my husband thinks that can dull the edges. For a long time the mfgrs didn’t specify that and I learned the hard way – damaged handle that retailer wouldn’t get repaired.
Always wash my knives by hand.
Wooden handled steak knives and metal handled steak knives (Henckel) are all washed by hand. Chef, serrated, and any other “specially” knives are all washed by hand as well. The only knives which go in the dishwasher are butter knives and small paring knives. We have had most of our hand washed knives for in excess of 20 years (they were wedding gifts!). Thank you for an interesting, informative and helpful blog!
LOVE your helpful info! Do you think you could someday do a lesson on making a bed?
To do dishes and save time I put in the sink the dirtiest dishes first while I am washing above them the items which are not dirty such as water glasses, bread trays or cutlery. The water and the soap will do half the job so they will be half clean when their turn comes.
Love your videos!