Quickly Cleaning Up When Cooking Keto
Doing dishes usually isn’t fun and it’s a byproduct of cooking at home. Cleaning up pots, pans,and dishes can be a pain. However, there are some things you can consider to greatly cut down on the dishes.
“The easiest cleanup is just opening the trash-bin and tossing it all in!”
Paper Plates
Paper plates are very inexpensive and easily disposed. The easiest cleaning up is just opening the trash-bin and tossing it all in! You could be concerned that a paper plate is wasteful or bad for the environment, but you could probably make the argument it’s more efficient and better for the environment than wasting gallons of water, introducing cleaning agents to gray water, or consider it’s far more efficient than running a dishwasher. The bottom line is that in reality, it’s probably a wash (no pun intended) regardless of which method you employ.
The Dishwasher
“On the days we would stay in, we’d typically order out pizza or Chinese food.”
Shannon and I have a dishwasher and I’m not sure we used it more than two or three times a year the first few years we lived in our house. It would mainly get used if we had a big dinner party with the ‘formal china’. We always found it easier and faster to just do our dishes quickly by hand.
This changed dramatically once we started on the keto diet. Our old routine involved going out to eat nearly three meals a day, every single day. The expense of dining out was astronomical but it seemed incredibly convenient. On the days we would stay in, we’d typically order out pizza or Chinese food. Our new lifestyle meant cooking three meals a day, and not because it’s necessarily difficult to find keto friendly foods out, but we found our food was usually better (refer back to the egg example). And most importantly, we knew exactly what was in the food we eat when we make it at home.
All of this cooking at home meant a lot more dishes, pots, and pans. The dishwasher has now become our best friend.
Cleaning a Pan in a Few Seconds
I expect some blow back here, but as someone who cooks frequently I demand a good quality pan. A heavy bottom pan disperses heat evenly and provides a much more luxurious cooking experience.
There is one exception and that is my breakfast / egg pan. In this instance I use the least expensive 8” Ikea frying pan. If I recall the pan was about $4, and it works awesome for several reasons.
First, you need not worry about warping or ruining a $4 pan. This Teflon pan comes off the stove and goes right under the cold running water. This process would make me cringe if the pan was expensive. On a side note, I’ve replaced this pan once in five years and it was primarily because someone just learning to cook (maybe Shannon) used a metal utensil which scuffed up the Teflon coating.
In short, the hot pan can quickly be cooled, and wiped dry with a paper towel (no soap, sponge, or dish towel needed)! While the pan is hot any debris will slide right off with the water and the paper towel will clean off any residual oil or butter in the pan.
“Aluminum foil is a great ‘liner’ for backing sheets and broiler pans.”
Aluminum Foil Everywhere!
Well, maybe not everywhere. Aluminum foil is a great ‘liner’ for backing sheets and broiler pans. We cook a lot of fish sometimes in the oven and other times in a toaster oven, but I always line the drip pan in tin foil.
Once dinner is complete, I carefully roll the aluminum foil in a ball to avoid anything dripping out and toss it in the trash. This allows you to quickly rinse the grate and move on quickly!
Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is great for things that need to be baked. It can go in the oven and can be sprayed with cooking spray for non-stick properties. Baking cookies? Pizza dough? Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, it’s inexpensive and easy to clean! Just roll it in a ball and toss it in the trash – clean up done!
Disposable Aluminum Trays
We don’t typically do a lot of baking in general, but if that is something you are interested in you might consider disposable aluminum trays. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Be it baking cookies or making a keto meatloaf once the cooking is complete the clean up is as easy as the paper plates.
Plastic and Paper Cups
“The key is to rinse it as soon as you are done.”
Plastic of paper cups are viable option to avoid making a mess, however this is where we draw the line. Glasses and mugs usually just need a quick rinse and can be re-used again, especially if it’s just a couple using the same glasses or mugs each day. Mugs and glasses if rinsed immediately usually end up perfectly clean and can be left to dry. Obviously if you leave your coffee mug all day, you will end up with nasty coffee paste stuck to the bottom of it. The key is to rinse it as soon as you are done.
If you hate even the idea of rinsing a mug or glass, then feel free to buy plastic or paper cups that are disposable.
Do you have any tips for a quick and easy clean-up? Feel free to leave a comment below!
