Eating ‘clean’ is one thing, but we should also be mindful of our cooking environment, writes Aiman Ahmad Anuar
IN the last few years there has been a loud, almost incessant, call for more people to “eat clean”. Droves of people are now becoming more aware of how important it is to actually eat healthy food. But there’s something else which I happen to think is far more important — “cooking clean”, which is about cooking in a clean environment.
Unexciting? Learning how to “cook clean” is an important skill any aspiring cook or chef needs to learn. In fact most professional chefs would tell you that they spend only half their time whipping up dishes. The other 50 per cent is actually spent cleaning.
The reason why it’s so important is because food is usually served to two types of people — customers and loved ones. Either way, they deserve the highest level of cleanliness you or any other cook out there can offer. After all, there is a tonne of issues associated with unhygienic cooking environments, such as food-borne illnesses, vermin, and just regular bits of dirt in food.
Some of you might think keeping your kitchens clean is something that can be shrugged off. It seems harmless to leave piles of unwashed dishes overnight or to forgo cleaning your floors for a couple of days after cooking. But, the reality is that any kind of dirt you leave around will either attract bacteria, or worse, some kind of vermin.
Years ago, as much as I hate to admit it now, I had a small, hairy four-legged intruder.
It was not an issue at first — some small droppings in my wet kitchen. Then tiny little squeaks started coming from my cabinets. I feigned ignorance, hoping it was either my cat playing tricks on me or just some big cicak (lizard) walking about in my kitchen. After all, I wasn’t “that dirty”. But my problems didn’t go away. So after spending hundreds of ringgit in pest control fees and having to sanitise my cooking utensils and crockery in bleach on a weekly basis, I had learnt my lesson.
It’s a lesson you won’t need to learn if you take the right steps in making sure your kitchen is always clear. And while the right steps might involve a little bit more work than you are used to, it is well worth the effort in the long run.
STEPS TO CLEANLINESS
The first thing you should do is vacuum and mop your floors before and after you cook. It seems a little tedious but it ensures that your floors are clear of any bits of food debris which could easily attract a myriad of vermin, much like my four-legged friend. The great part is that you don’t actually have to spend more than 10 minutes each time because you would be getting the job done on a regular basis.
Another way to get dirt off your floors is to learn how to cook with a bin right next to you. You don’t need to even lug your huge black trash can either. I usually fashion one using a plastic shopping bag and a mixing bowl giving me a makeshift one that fits perfectly on my kitchen counter. This way you can immediately throw away all your food trimmings without leaving a trail on the floor on the way to the bin.
In addition to your floor, there are other things that require a little more maintenance. For example, your drying rack. It’s tempting to leave your regularly used crockery and utensils on your drying rack overnight — or for a week — especially after a long day of cooking, but it’s a dangerous habit. The longer you leave your items outside, the less you use your cupboards, which could either start getting dusty or become home to termites, spiders and other insects.
You can also adopt a “clean as you go attitude” if you would like to keep things a little neater while you cook. And it’s not as hard as you think because cooking any meal requires some sort of waiting time. So while you literally wait for water to boil, just get into the habit of cleaning your surfaces, throwing away some food trimmings or even washing a dish or two. There is, however, a trick when it comes to washing dishes as you cook, especially if you’re in a rush. You just need to fill a basin with warm soapy water and dump all your used utensils in while you cook. This way, your items get a good soak while you’re busy cooking.
There are a hundred other ways you can keep your kitchen clean, but the most important thing is to make a little more effort where you can. It’s not hard to pick up new habits, like washing a dish immediately after using it, or wiping your counter while you wait for something in the oven to cook.
So take a little time to be a little more hygienic, else you might find yourself visited by a four-legged creature too.