Classes they be filling. Healthy we be getting. And doing it all together. The Group Veg Transition program is coming up September 17th. Check the deets here. Don’t forget to vote for your fave Summer Guest Blogger Recipe. And PLEASE come visit me next weekend at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair. I have a booth and my cooking demo starts at 12:00 pm sharp on Saturday, September 11th.
When I get into the kitchen, it’s like a bit of a tornado. Last weekend, when we were still in the midst of a heat wave, I mentioned to my mother that I might head up to my parents house to do a little cooking. I could hear the hesitation/stutter in her voice when she said “Sure- just clean up after”.
Back in my last life when I was going to be a fashion designer and made all my own clothes, a trail of threads would follow me from my sewing room to wherever I went. I suppose I am one of those peeps that just get my head into something and do it full on- perhaps ignoring the itty deets like wiping up a spill or clipping a thread- as the case may be.
As the weather cooled down, I was able to take on the cooking tasks in my own kitchen (much to my momma’s relief I’m sure). And chaos reigned free. I had two jams simmering, a peach pie in the oven, some edamame steaming for a hummus and some basil waiting to be pesto’d. Sweet, delicious, chaos.
Hop on over to my Facebook Page to have an exclusive peek at the video I made in the midst of this very chaos.
It is a wonder how, when I am working in the kitchen (and yay- this is part of my job), I am actually able to take notes and create recipes that work for you in your own kitchen.
Rules were absolutely made to be broken and so I break every one of the rules I have for keeping it tidy while cooking.
Meghan’s Tip Top Tips For A Tip Top Clean Cooking Kitchen (That She Never Follows):
- After you have measured out an ingredient, put it away to avoid excess clutter on your counter.
- Wipe up a spill straight away so it doesn’t spread and create more mess
- Clean up dishes as you use them to avoid a mass pile up at the end
- Finish one cooking project before taking on another
- Read through a whole recipe up front so you can use minimal dishes and measuring cups/spoons
- Write down recipes or recipe modifications as you make them
And since I break all of the above- this is how things usually look:
What can I say! Things get a little dirty when you’re making love in the kitchen.
(Peach pie recipe coming soon!)
Question Of The Day: What are your tips for keeping the cooking process chaos free?
Don’t forget to vote for your fave Summer Recipe Guest Blogger
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The problem with this plan is that i don’t get any of those magic goodies that comes out of Meghan’s kitchen. It has to be in my kitchen for me to get some samples. But I have become better at keeping the mess until the end. I learned from Meghan that if you do the cooking all at once you can reuse the utensils with just a quick rinse and wash it all up at the end. Then there is a huge sense of accomplishment seeing all that you have made. Never too late to learn.
You have keys to my kitchen- I invited you to take all the jams and sauces you wanted
The cooking process can be chaos free?
So I’ve been told.
put ingredients away after using-always. finish one project before staring another one-NEVER!
one thing I find that makes things easier is to start with an empty dishwasher but that hardly ever happens.
I like the re-use part that your mom mentioned…which is exactly how some flaxseeds got in my pot of chili today. But it’s cool!
Can’t wait for that peach pie recipe! I am curious to see how Meghan makes a crust without white flour or lard and surely including some everyday superfoods. No big deal.
Isn’t the chaos part of the fun? Especially when you see how neatly everything falls into place at the end…..order out of cacophony is satisfying indeed!
I agree with Rachel! Chaos is part of the fun.
I also like starting with a empty dishwasher.
Sometimes my friend and I do a cooking day together. We usually choose 6 recipes ahead of time and split up the shopping. We get together and cook and gab for hours. It’s chaos while it is in progress, but by the end of it, we have loads of things to stock our fridge and freezer and have had a good visit too.
I find doing all of the chopping at once is most efficient. Start with your soups/stews/ sauces and they can simmer while you get on with the next recipe. I try to wash as I go, but I slip sometimes.