It is amazing how much time is spent in the kitchen.
Raise your hand if you are one of those people who has a need to have a clean and tidy kitchen at all times, especially before cooking a meal? I know I am.
Other parts of the house can be messy, but one place where tidiness is required is the kitchen.
If there are crumbs on the countertop, cupboard draws left open, lids left off containers and a sink full of dirty dishes, I am unable to think clearly. My mind gets all muddled, and I find myself with a dilemma.
What do I do first? Do I close the kitchen draws, empty the sink or deal with the counter tops? Do I start tidying up or start cooking then tidy up?
All of this leads to me getting frustrated and I start to lose my temper with those unfortunate enough to be around me, especially if they add to the mess by putting something in the sink.
Trying to control my mood, I take a couple of deep breaths and start tackling the kitchen.
Tidying up is usually what I do first as it is the only way I can stop my frustration. The draws are closed, the counter top is wiped, lids are put back on containers and the containers are put back where they belong.
After that, the sink is done. This is done last in case there are things found while tidying up that needs to be washed up.
When it comes to washing up, the dishwasher usually doesn’t fit everything, so some hand washing is necessary; especially for the big and bulky items. If the dishwasher has not been unloaded, then I take another deep breath and try to decide if I want to unload and reload or just wash up by hand.
After taking a final look at the mountain of washing, unloading and loading the dishwasher always seems like the best option and whatever doesn’t fit can be washed in the sink and left to air dry.
There is a set order or should I say preference on how I like to load the dishwasher. There is a place for everything.
I start with cutlery, all eating knives are loaded with the stem at the bottom, then forks and spoons.
Cups and glasses are loaded next, followed by dishes, cooking utensils and finally if space permits pots and pans.
Having done all of this, I go over the kitchen bench tops again and the cooktop. I also have a quick look at the cupboard doors to see if there are any stains to be wiped off.
The final thing I do is sweep the floor.
Conclusion
Having done all of this, which can take up to 45 minutes, it is finally time to start cooking.
Thankfully, I tidy up as I cook. So by the time the meal is ready the only thing to tidy up is what is being used to eat with.
Doing all of this takes time; hence the need for deep breaths before the tidying up begins and the quick temper if anyone says they are hungry while I am tidying up.
Why didn’t they tidy up when they saw how messy the kitchen was?
So, one way to stop being frustrated in the kitchen is to tidy up as you go. That way you know you can put on your apron and start cooking as soon as you enter the kitchen.
