7 Kitchen Cleaning Hacks That Will Save You So Much Time, According to Chefs

Work smarter, not harder.

Whether cooking is your favorite part of the day or the last thing on your mind, cleaning up the kitchen after cooking a meal can feel like a frustrating time-sink. If you've ever wondered how the professionals do it, you've come to the right place.

Read on for expert cleaning hacks from chefs who know a thing or two about being busy , from developing recipes for food blogs, to managing restaurants, to starring on TV.

• Jem Mantiri is a content creator, food photographer, and the founder of The Fruity Jem
• Scott Groth is a professional food blogger and the founder of I'd Rather Be A Chef
• Nickenford Joseph is the co-executive chef at NYC’s Vinyl Steakhouse
• Marcela Valladolid is a celebrity chef and cleaning ambassador at Pinalen, Cloralen, and Ensueno Laundry

Batch-Cook to Consolidate Cleaning Time

Jem Mantiri, food blogger and recipe developer, recommends batch-cooking meals or ingredients when you have time. “You'll dirty fewer pots and pans overall, and it cuts down on daily cooking cleanup,” she says. Even if meal-prepping isn’t your thing, you can prepare batches of separate ingredients that can be quickly and easily combined into meals throughout the week.

Pre-Soak Dishes While Eating Dinner

Mantiri suggests getting a head start on cleaning while you eat by pre-soaking dishes in hot water and dish soap. “By the time you're done eating, the stuck-on food will be easier to scrub off,” she says. If you’re short on after-dinner cleaning time, feel free to soak the dishes overnight.

Deglaze Burnt-On Food

Unfortunately, some food bits may be too stubborn for a hot water soak. Scott Groth, professional chef and food blogger, recommends deglazing in these situations. This is a culinary technique where a liquid—such as water, wine, vodka, etc.—is introduced to a hot pan, which helps unstick burnt or caramelized food residue. Deglazing is commonly used in recipes for soups, stews, and sauces, but can also be applied as a time-saving cleaning method using just water.

“First, remove any of the solids from the pan while it is still hot,” says Groth. “Next, add a little water (it will start to boil immediately) and scrape the browned or blackened bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula. It takes just a minute and saves an enormous amount of time scrubbing with a sponge and soap.”

Clean as You Go

Nickenford Joseph, co-executive chef at New York City’s Vinyl Steakhouse, emphasizes the importance of keeping a clean cooking station as you go. “Bacteria grows quickly, so it’s essential to ensure that your work surface is safe,” he says. Not only is cleaning as you go crucial for keeping a sanitary, functional workstation, but it also cuts down on cleaning time after eating. If you are cooking a recipe with some breaks—for example, to allow water to boil or the oven to preheat—use that time to hand-wash a couple of dishes or load some items into the dishwasher .

Get Creative With the Dishwasher

Speaking of: “The dishwasher doesn’t have to just be for dishes,” says Marcela Valladolid, TV personality and professional chef. “Try tossing items like stove knobs, range hood filters, and fridge shelves into the dishwasher.” She emphasizes that simplicity is the key to minimizing kitchen cleaning time—the more items you can clean with one cleaning aid, the better.

Groth also suggests using the top rack of the dishwasher to clean your dish sponge. Or, soak it overnight in a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water to sanitize it and prevent bacterial growth.

Use Parchment Paper Liners for Baking Pans

If you’re a fan of sheet-pan meals , Mantiri, Groth, and Valladolid all recommended using parchment paper, aluminum foil, or silicone baking mats to line your baking sheets. “Cleaning a baking sheet takes a lot of time, but by using parchment paper it makes cleanup effortless—simply lift out the paper and discard it,” says Groth. “This is a particularly solid tip for people roasting vegetables or making bacon in the oven.”

Be sure to check for any food residue that may have snuck onto the pan during baking. Still, you will largely be spared the elbow grease it can take to scrub burnt-on food from an entire sheet pan.

Organize Food and Leftovers Properly

“In any kitchen, organization is key—especially in storage areas or walk-ins,” says Joseph. “A well-organized space makes everything more efficient because you always know where things are.” Giving everything a home also helps simplify tasks like unloading groceries or putting away ingredients and leftovers. “Remember the order: ready-to-eat foods at the top, followed by seafood, beef/pork, ground meat, and ground poultry at the bottom,” he says, emphasizing the importance of food safety in your organizational method.

Organizing your fridge can also help ensure leftovers get eaten before they spoil, preventing a larger and potentially hazardous mess from old food. Groth uses dry-erase markers as an easy labeling system. “At my house, we use airtight glass containers with snap-on lids to store leftovers in the fridge. I write on the glass what the leftovers are and when I cooked them so everyone in the family knows,” he says. Implementing a system like this can also help reduce food waste—better for your wallet, and for the planet.

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