Want to save time washing dishes?
I’ve shared with you before that my kitchen looks like this much of the time:
This is not because I rarely wash dishes. This is because we have a very full house, thus creating many dirty dishes throughout the day.
I fill the dishwasher to the max at least twice if not three times every day.
When you cook meals at home, there’s no getting around having dishes to wash. I don’t like buying and using paper plates unless we have guests (especially now as prices for paper products have gone up).
But I do have a few tips that help our dirty dishes pile just a tiny bit smaller. I certainly don’t need to waste time in the kitchen if I can help it!
How to Save Time Washing Dishes
1. If I can, I skip the mixing bowl and mix food directly in a baking dish.
This doesn’t always work, but here’s an example of what does work! If I’m making something like cornbread or brownies, I find that I can put all the ingredients into a 9×13-inch baking dish, stir it up, then spread it to bake.
My 4-year-old helper likes this method too.
This also works with just about every casserole I make.
2. Roll biscuits directly on the pan.
Instead of making a mess on my countertop or on a cutting board when I make biscuits, I spread flour on my cookie sheet, press down the dough, cut the biscuits, and bake.
3. When I cut fruit or veggies with a knife, I rinse the knife and put it in the dish drain to use again.
Fruit like apples, bananas, peaches, and such don’t make a knife super dirty. The same goes for veggies like sweet peppers and cucumbers. Save time and dirty dishes by rinsing it off and using it again the next time you need to cut something quickly.
4. Re-use saucepans for melting butter and oil.
If I’m melting coconut oil or butter on the stove for baking, I often leave the pan on the stove to reuse later if I plan to do more baking that day. It just makes sense!
5. Use muffin liners.
In my experience, it takes an extra long time to scrub individual muffin tins after baking muffins. Instead, I use liners so that the muffins pop right out and the pans just have to go through a quick rinse.
6. Make multiple batches at once.
This not only saves on dirty dishes, but it also saves time and energy. Every time I make anything from casseroles to muffins to bread to cookies – I multiply the batch at least by two but often by four or even eight! I find that if I’m going to get out ingredients, spend time reading a recipe, and dirty some dishes, I might as well get the most from my effort!
We eat the first round, then I freeze extras so that all I have to do later is pull out food and serve it or bake it and serve it. This way, I only do the prep dishes the first time around. After that, there are no extra dishes!
What helps you save time washing dishes?
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