The Kitchen Mistake You're Making Every Night

The kitchen can be a daunting place for even the most seasoned users. Even chefs can get overwhelmed with ingredients, temperatures, and especially clean-up. Publications like Reader's Digest list a slew of mistakes you can make in the kitchen, from "not sharpening knives properly", "putting hot liquids and foods in the blender", and "allowing ready-to-eat foods and raw foods to touch". Mashed writer Karen Miner found that it's typical for home cooks to not read their recipes thoroughly enough, causing further avoidable mistakes.

But none of these are the main mistake you might be making in the kitchen. Apartment Therapy and Kitchn contributor Shifrah Combiths experimented with a new method to that will have neat freaks taking notes. Kitchn writer Ella Cerón recounts her weeklong effort to recreate Shifrah's recommended kitchen fix and loved it so much that she seems to imply that if you're not "shutting down" your kitchen nightly, you're doing something wrong. But what exactly does this method entail?

The simple answer is: clean. As Ella Cerón notes on The Kitchn, you should "aim for 'a level of cleaning that's somewhere between post-meal clean-up and a thorough kitchen deep-clean", meaning a quick sweep to tidy up countertops (grabbing dishes, wiping up spills, etc.), clean dishes (including drying them and putting them away) and disinfecting kitchen surfaces like the sink and stove, especially if you cook on it. 

Her main takeaway was how easy it made her mornings once she got into a groove. She felt "peaceful," "calm," and motivated to keep the method going. For those who don't like cleaning, this may not have the same effect on you, but for those who are indifferent or enjoy it, this one little step can make you feel accomplished each day and set you on an easy path to start your morning renewed, with last night's dirty dishes only a distant memory.