How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half

  • November 5, 2008
  • 1,724 Views

Milkhouse from Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher (and 4 others)

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The key to a quick kitchen cleanup after the Thanksgiving eat-a-thon is not making a big, sticky mess before it.

You Will Need

  • Plastic wrap or newspapers
  • Aluminum foil or cookie sheet
  • Cooking oil
  • Wax paper
  • Cooking spray
  • A dish tub
  • Dishwasher detergent
  • A paper plate
How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Cover your counters

Step 1: Cover your counters

Before you begin cooking, cover your counters with a layer of plastic wrap or some old newspapers.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Protect the stove

Step 2: Protect the stove

Place foil or a cookie sheet at the bottom of your oven to catch spills. Wrap your burners in foil. If you have a stovetop exhaust fan, turn it on to suck up grease.

Spread a thin layer of cooking oil along the inside rim of your pots to prevent boilovers.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Keep stuff from sticking

Step 3: Keep stuff from sticking

Spritz measuring cups with cooking spray before filling them with sticky ingredients like molasses or corn syrup; it makes cleanup a breeze. This trick works on cheese graters, too.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Use one prep bowl

Step 4: Use one prep bowl

Dirty fewer prep dishes. For each recipe, line a big bowl with plastic wrap or wax paper. Chop or measure ingredients in the reverse order they’ll be needed, separating each with a layer of wrap. Then just lift them out as you go and rinse the bowl.

If you use a handheld mixer, cut a hole through a paper plate and stick the beaters through it to prevent splatter.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Fill a dish tub

Step 5: Fill a dish tub

Fill a large plastic dish tub with hot, sudsy water just before you sit down to dinner. Soak all your dirty pots and pans while you’re eating.

Add a few pots of boiling water to the suds so the water stays piping hot.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Boil soapy water in dirty pots

Step 6: Boil soapy water in dirty pots

As you’re clearing the table, take any pots and pans that still have stuck-on food, fill them with water, add some dishwasher detergent, and bring the sudsy water to a boil. The food will slide right off.

How To Cut the Post-Thanksgiving Dinner Cleanup in Half: Rinse with hot water

Step 7: Rinse with hot water

Use very hot water to rinse any dishes you’re hand washing; they’ll dry faster. And let them air dry — it’s not only easier, but more sanitary.

According to a survey, cleaning up after the meal is the second most stressful part of Thanksgiving, after getting the preparations done on time.

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Comments (6)

jim_carson

The first tip (thin layer of oil to prevent boilovers) is awesome. Thanks!

over 3 years ago by jim_carson

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blahwah

STEP 5 is most useless

about 1 year ago by blahwah

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blahwah

Well, of course if we do well, but at that vid, soooo dirty!!

about 1 year ago by blahwah

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