Practical strategies for becoming a cleaner, faster, and more efficient cook at home

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"Comfort in Chaos."

That's what was written on the kitchen sign that hung above the dining room door at the Oceanaire Seafood Room in San Diego.

As a 23-year old line cook responsible for 6 entrees, 4 side dishes, and a tankful of live lobsters, this slogan helped keep me level under pressure.

Because when chaos reigned in the kitchen, I really had my hands full trying to keep my station clean, organized, and under control.

Part of my problem was processing the lobsters.

Because before a lobster went into the steamer to cook, it received a "coup de grace"... A sharp knife straight through the head that signaled the end of its long journey from Maine.

I was left with a work station covered in cold, blue-grey lobster guts…

And a cleanup project that I wasn't looking forward to.

And after cleaning up the lobster guts that accumulated under my cutting board every night for months, I’d had enough.

I knew I’d have to find better ways to keep a work station clean.

And this experience forced me to create better habits so that I could.

Hopefully, YOU don't have to clean lobsters at home.

But no matter what's on your menu, a messy kitchen is NEVER fun to work in. So if you want to keep that smile on your face while you cook, you've got to keep your kitchen clean and tidy.

These 6 tips can help you become better organized and more methodical when you cook, which means you can take the stress out of cooking and have more fun - no matter what you're up against.

Now that's a REAL comforting thought.

Hard-working cooks deserve tools that work as hard as they do. Read my article 10 best chef's knives under $150 to find knives that make kitchen work a breeze.

My 6 Tips for Staying Organized

1. Sit down and write a prep list

If you love to cook, it's easy to get excited about pulling your knife out and getting started.

But if you don't write a prep list first, you could forget an important step in your plans.

Every day that I cook, I write one prep list. How is a prep list different from a recipe?

Let's say you have five different items to cook on a prep list, and each item has its own recipe. You may need to refer to the actually recipe, or you may not. It's up to you.

But always refer back to the prep list when you finish an item, and cross each one off as you go.

2. Pull out all the tools you'll need

Before you pick up that knife and start chopping, consider all the other tools you'll need for your recipe.

Will you need measuring cups and spoons? A digital scale? Maybe a wooden spoon and a whisk?

Gather them all together and place them in a central location near the stove. Taking this step before you start cooking will save you 5-10 minutes.

Plus, it will ensure that your food doesn't burn on the stove because you've turned your back to search for that wooden spoon.

Missing some essential gear? Set yourself up for success in the kitchen with the same tools used by professional chefs. Read my article Top 5 Kitchen Tools.

3. Gather all your ingredients together

There's nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe, then realizing you're missing the onions.

It really throws a wrench in the gears.

If I have to stop, go shopping AGAIN, then start the recipe where I left off, I get grumpy.

That's why I set out all my ingredients in front of me before I even pick up the knife. I'll place all the smaller ingredients together in one container so I can process them all quickly one after the other.

ONLY when I've seen all the ingredients with my own eyes, will I start measuring, cutting and cooking.

4. Work out of one container and into another

Does your countertop stay clean and organized even while you're chopping, mixing and measuring?

Or is it littered with onion stems, carrot trimmings, rubber bands and plastic bags?

Even if your recipe has 22 ingredients, that's no excuse for chaos. The best way to keep your countertop tidy is to process all your ingredients from one container to another.

Let's say I'm peeling carrots.

I'll start by placing the unpeeled carrots in container 1. As I peel the carrots, I'll drop the peels into container 2, and the finished peeled carrots will go in container 3.

That way it's all contained, and my countertop stays clean.

5. Finish knife work before you begin cooking

In the restaurant world, the concept of mise en place separates "prep work" from the "à la minute" work of cooking individual orders.

You can use this same concept to streamline your own workflow cooking at home.

Get all of the slicing, dicing, and chopping done BEFORE you start the real cooking. After every item is cut, place each in a container and set it aside.

This way, you won't stress out about onions burning in the pan before the tomatoes are diced and ready to go in.

6. Wash dishes as you go

Decades of practice have molded me into a brutally efficient dishwasher.

But that doesn't mean I like doing it.

In fact, I'd like to avoid it as much as you would. Because nothing irritates me more than the thought of washing a tall pile of gross, dirty dishes.

So I skip the pile altogether.

Because when I'm finished using a bowl, a pan, or a pot, I'll wash it, dry it, and set it aside. Cleaning as I go takes some extra time during the cooking process, but makes the final cleanup a breeze.

Conclusion

Keep these 6 tips in mind before you get cooking, and you'll save yourself a lot of pain and suffering in the kitchen.

And check out my recipe collection to inspire you to create delicious, healthy meals at home!

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