10 Tips for Easy Plant-Based Kitchen Cleanup

You’ve probably found that cooking from home is a given if you want to eat healthy whole food. This, my friend can be a challenge, especially if you’re new to eating a plant-based diet. Not only that, but kitchen cleanup is also part of the equation… every day, every night.

It’s true, following a whole food plant-based diet can mean more time spent grocery shopping as well as chopping and cooking at home, but these tips for easy kitchen cleanup will help move you through the mess quickly and onto enjoying what you love best.

Easy Kitchen Cleanup

We want to take advantage of every trick we can to help us stick with our commitment to eating a healthy plant-based diet, so try some of these tips and let me know in the comments what works for you or if you have an additional suggestion.

1. Start with a Clean Kitchen

You’ve probably heard that saying about “wiping the slate clean” or “starting with an empty slate.” Well, starting with a clean kitchen and an empty dishwasher makes food prep so much easier.

“Wiping the dishwasher clean” means that you have someplace to put your utensils and dishes away once you’re done with them. It prevents clutter from building up and makes your kitchen counters so much more inviting and functional.

As you keep putting away dirty kitchen items and get them out of view, you’re going to feel more focused and less overwhelmed – at least I know I do!

2. The Joys of Oil-Free Cooking and Cleanup

Cooking without oil makes cleaning up a virtual breeze. There’s no sticky, gummy residue on your plates, pots, and pans, so with a quick turn of a soapy sponge, presto – they’re clean!

Remember to soak any stuck-on residue from cooking as that will make cleanup go faster as well.

3. Chop It Once, Use It Twice

Let’s face it, there’s a lot of chopping prep for cooking whole food plant-based meals. To speed things up and minimize cleanup, if you’re cooking from scratch and know what other meals you’ll be making that week, go ahead and chop extra for those other meals. Onions, celery, and carrots are often used in many recipes, so why not save time and mess by chopping them all at once?

Depending on when you’re planning to use them, all kinds of potatoes can be trickier because they will start to turn brown. For a meal the same day as you chop, put them in water to cover, and they’ll stay fresher.

Or, purchase pre-packaged fresh or frozen produce that’s already chopped. These days, the grocery store seems to have almost everything available, from broccoli and green beans to cauliflower, onion, carrots, and squash.

4. Use a “Garbage Bowl”

I’ve been using this nifty trick for years, ever since I first heard it suggested by Rachel Ray. With a designated garbage bowl or plastic container, there’s no going back and forth from the workspace to the trash. Instead, all of your chopping scrapes are easily and conveniently disposed of while you’re working and then dumped in one easy swoosh when you’re done. (Be sure you have enough storage containers on hand.)

5. Cook It Once, Eat It Twice

Along with “chop it once, use it twice” comes “cook it once, eat it twice,” especially if you’re making a more complicated dish such as veggie lasagna or a dish that you know will make great leftovers. Make enough to last a few days, and you’ll be able to skip the heavier-duty cleanup on those “leftover nights.”

6. The Magic of Rubber Gloves

Procrastination be gone! Wearing gloves keep my hands from feeling dry, raw, and chapped, and at least for me, seems to make me more willing to dive in and get those dishes done right away. See if gloves don’t help you get out of the kitchen faster. My favorites are from Mr. Clean and they are latex-free and have a soft lining that prevents sticking. 

7.  Use a Sink Soak

Sometimes dishes need a little extended soak time to make them easier to clean so I like to keep a large bowl handy for this, or alternatively, fill the sink halfway full with warm water. Place dirty dishes in the water, and they’ll come clean in a flash.

8.  Do the Dishes as You Go

Cooking often involves multiple stages. If you take time in between these steps to clean up those soaking dishes, such as when you’re waiting for the onions to brown, you’ll be one step closer to a clean kitchen.

Take advantage of those downtimes and wash what you can before you eat, and you’ll find that after dinner, it won’t seem like such a chore.

It’s also helpful to clean up any spills ASAP by wiping the counter and cleaning the cutting board when spills happen.

9. When to Skip the Soap

If a dish or utensil is barely used and there’s no oily residue or germs to speak of, I say go ahead and just rinse it. For example, when I use a measuring spoon for Amla Green (a cholesterol and blood sugar reducer) for a smoothie or a microplane zester on ginger and turmeric, a quick rinse does the job just fine.

10. Use a Dish Dry Mat or Rack

Use a handy dish drying mat or rack where you can easily lay everything out to dry. Here’s some ideas for a drying rack.

Hello Clean Kitchen!

Now that you’ve got the scoop on whole food plant-based kitchen cleanup, go make some delicious plant-based recipes and implement these strategies to tame that dirty kitchen monster and make life so much easier.

As always, I appreciate your feedback. Please let me know what you think, or feel free to share your own suggestions in the comments below.

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