This information may not come from a nutrition or health expert, but I’ve ensured to cover this issue for multiple reasons that affect our time, enthusiasm, effectiveness, and variety in cooking. Cooking food in a clean place with a happy mind can be meditative—try it yourself! 😊
- Maintain Your Equipment: Ensure all your equipment like the gas stove, microwave, oven, toaster, sandwich maker, water filter, mixer, grinder, food processors, chopping boards, and knives are in good condition and serviced timely as required.
- Grocery Assessment: Conduct a fortnightly assessment for groceries and list down the foods required for the next 15 days.
- Weekend Prep: Dedicate 1 hour on a weekend to prepare your masalas, curry powders, sprouts, and batter for idly dosa, or ready-to-use paratha stuffing/phulka/roti dough (dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).
- Container Cleanup: Clean up empty containers and refill foods needed for the next 15 days. Ensure foods stored in large amounts are protected with good insect/pest control measures.
- Natural Pest Control: Use red chillies in dal and dry neem and tulsi leaves in rice to keep grains clean and insect-free, along with other organic products available in the market.
- Spice Box Organization: Clean up your spice box, add the required spices, and keep it handy.
- Fridge Maintenance: Clean out the fridge, remove leftovers, and ensure proper defrosting and cooling temperatures are maintained. Keep different foods in separate sections (dairy products, meat and poultry, cooked foods, ready-to-make foods, vegetables and fruits, and foods that require freezing).
- Menu Planning: Plan a week’s family menu. It’s easier to cook when planned and everything is in place.
- Regular Cleaning: Clean kitchen towels, napkins, and covers every 15 days. Sanitize the kitchen sinks and dustbins regularly.
- Pest Control: Pest control in the kitchen is essential, especially to get rid of cockroaches, fruit flies, and mosquitoes.
- Surface Scrubbing: Scrub the cooking platforms and tiles at least once every 15 days. A clean and bright kitchen will make you happy and encourage you to cook. When you cook with happiness and love, the food will surely taste better!