We all have our own journey. But one of the biggest improvements in enjoying to cook was to learn not to clean up after. It was a revelation to me and the big enabler which moved cooking from a chore to something I appreciate.
Do not clean up after - clean during!
Maybe annoying at first but it quickly turn into a habit
There is plenty of time (as a home cook!) during prep to clean the knives, bowls boards etc. What will seem like a huge mountain if left to linger will be a breeze when you learn to keep your station clean. And you never see this very simple fact of life in most videos.
I really used to optimize how few bowls etc. I would use as I hated the dishes afterwards. But quickly cleaning a bowl after use only take seconds and I no longer dread reaching for another if it ease my process.
This usually only leaves a pan and maybe a pot to clean when done eating. Not too bad even though I do them by hand as I am particular with what goes into the dishwasher
That. And doing mis en place rather than running head first into it. Absolute key lessons for me.
Sparks joy ;-)
EDIT: And if you stack things in the sink we cannot be friends. Sorry. Stack them elsewhere and keep them low.
This x100. I actually like cleaning up while cooking because it uses up the dead-time while waiting for something to cook, where I would normally let my ADHD brain take me out of the kitchen to do something else and then burn everything.
There are one pot or instapot/crock pot/rice cooker recipes that can help, but a lot of those still require some prep work. I 100% agree here, though. The key, especially in a small space, is to keep things clean as you work.
But, this also means managing sub-tasks through the day, like making sure clean items get pulled out of the dishwasher when it's done so that, to your point, things don't stack up in the sink through the day. There's nothing worse than trying to quickly throw a meal together and realizing the tool you need is at the bottom of the sink under a stack or pile. Things quickly turn to yak shaving.
Cooking and cleaning go hand and hand in my mind. I don't always have everything clean when I'm done cooking, but I'm proud when I'm able leave things at a good stopping point. That said, go eat the food you just cooked while it's hot. I think it can be difficult for people new to cooking to balance all these things, it takes practice. As you get a better sense of timing when things will be ready, you find time to clean something. [The more clean and organized your workspace is, the easier meals come together.]
Do not clean up after - clean during!
Maybe annoying at first but it quickly turn into a habit
There is plenty of time (as a home cook!) during prep to clean the knives, bowls boards etc. What will seem like a huge mountain if left to linger will be a breeze when you learn to keep your station clean. And you never see this very simple fact of life in most videos.
I really used to optimize how few bowls etc. I would use as I hated the dishes afterwards. But quickly cleaning a bowl after use only take seconds and I no longer dread reaching for another if it ease my process.
This usually only leaves a pan and maybe a pot to clean when done eating. Not too bad even though I do them by hand as I am particular with what goes into the dishwasher
That. And doing mis en place rather than running head first into it. Absolute key lessons for me.
Sparks joy ;-)
EDIT: And if you stack things in the sink we cannot be friends. Sorry. Stack them elsewhere and keep them low.