Neat freak or slob

[Leslie w]

I am an anal retentive neat freak in the kitchen. Before I cook my kitchen has to be spotless and while I'm cooking I'm constantly wiping the counters, stove, walls, whatever.. The only benefit to this obsession of mine is that by the time I'm done cooking there is nothing left to clean. I also don't like people helping me in the kitchen for the same reason. I have no control over what they do. I must break myself of this habit because I have a 3 year old interested in cooking and I don't want to drive her away. So, I'm working on it. I was wondering if there are others out there like me. And any tips on how to break myself of this "habit" would be appreciated.

[kwormann]

JUST STOP

There, did that help? I thought I could scare it out of you like the hicups.......

[Chefzhat]

Kwormann, you are toooooo funny!

Leslie, I went through the same thing with my young son who loves to cook with me. I let the knives get dull, opened a cold one and sipped peacefully while letting me help cook . . . . did a lot for my mood!!

Seriously, if you don't have a cold one available, let the knives get dull anyway and pre measure EVERYTHING!!!! then let the little darlings dump it all in. They are helping, and you still have some measure (hee hee) of control. Then let you little one have it's own sponge and fill the sink with water and measuring cups and she can wash the "dishes".

Worked for me!

Debie

[emilycat]

I always joke that I clean up my kitchen before I cook, only to destroy it again. I cannot stand to cook with dirty/messy kitchen but after I've completed a "session," it looks like a bomb hit it. And yes, I often wait to do the dishes until the next morning. (Then I freak out when I get home from work and go on a cleaning streak before I trash it again. ;) )

[SandyM]

I'm a neat freak in the kitchen. Those little Chlorox antibacterial wipes are awesome!!!

I've been known to let it happen, but I'd rather not let anyone help me. My kitchen is certainly big enough, but it seems to disrupt the flow of nature, so to speak. And I'm so anal that I'm doing dishes as I'm cooking/baking. I would freak out if I came home to dishes in the sink or a messy kitchen!!!

Hi, my name is Sandy, and I'm an Anal Kitchen Maven.......

[Terrytx]

I guess I would be considered a slob. I don't clean as I go, don't wipe up drips on the counter until all prep is over. If there is a spill on the stove, unless it is major, it stays there until dinner is over and I am doing the finial clean up. Dishes go into the dishwasher, but pots and pans sometimes hang out in the sink overnight.

[Jasmine-Rose]

I definitely fall into the neat freak category. I too clean the kitchen before I cook and I fill the sink with hot soapy water and wash & dry the dishes as I go along. When I'm finished we eat dinner and then I wash those dishes too. I can't go to bed with a dirty kitchen - and I don't have a dishwasher (never wanted one believe it or not). I just like my kitchen to be neat and tidy all the time.

I don't usually have other cooks around either, but my sweetie is in charge of making pizza and stirring risotto. Funny, that is what is keeping me from joining a supper club; I don't think everyone would understand that clean-kitchen obsession I have!

I do like that idea of letting the kids add the premeasured ingredients, though.

[Safari Girl]

If I'm cooking a chicken recipe, I clean up immediately - anything that chicken touches gets scrubbed then stuck in the dishwasher for more scrubbing the minute after I'm finished with the chicken. The counter gets scrubbed as well even if the chicken didn't touch it - I'm very anal about being food poisoned by chicken (I caught my DH's twit of a brother just wiping off a cutting board after cutting chicken on it then putting it back in the cupboard - hello? ever heard of salmonella?!?! Needless to say I made him scrub it!) A lightbulb went off when I saw him do that - I got food poisoning after chopping veggies on a cutting board that he had used previously for cutting chicken on, silly me thought he'd cleaned it properly! So I'm very anal about sterilizing after chicken. For other food items, like beef, I'll leave cleanup until after we've enjoyed the meal.

[Jewel]

I don't think anyone could ever call me a 'neat freak' by any stretch of the imagination...I'm kind of a 'clutter collector'. I try so hard not to be, but I married a man with the same attributes, so we don't have the other partner to kick us in the hiney and tell us to pick it up!! So, there always seems to be newspapers in piles, magazines on tables, just general stuff that never seems to find its way back to its rightful shelf or drawer as quickly as it should.

That said, my kitchen is a different story. I was taught by my Mom to 'clean as you go' and it's like second nature to me now. As soon as I finish with a knife, cutting board, measuring cup, pan, bowl or saucepan, it's being handwashed and left to drain. Generally, the only things I have left to wash after dinner is the stuff that is on our dinner table and maybe one pot on the stove. Counters are wiped as often as I can during cooking, as is the stove. In fact, DH is like me in that respect also! Sometimes I'll have to pull him away from the kitchen sink to actually sit down and eat the dinner that is getting cold while he's washing the pans that are still on the stove. Both of us are guilty of leaving the Visa bill on the kitchen booth table for two weeks before filing it, but neither of us can stand to see a dirty bowl on the counter for longer than 3 minutes.

Now if I could only convince him that his socks are like a dirty bowl... :rolleyes:

[beejayw1]

Can you be a slob and still be a cleanliness freak? If so, that's me.

If I'm cooking raw meat, knives and cutting boards and countertops get cleaned (like, with Clorox Clean-up wipes or spray). If I spill something bad on the stove (tomato based sauces spring to mind) they get wiped up pretty fast.

Hands, tools, mixing bowls - all get thoroughly washed before and during preparation. Otherwise, I tend to be rather messy.

Also, I drink tea, and when I boil water for a cup of tea and have boiling water left over, I routinely scald cutting boards and knives.

[michelern]

For any super anal retentive neat freaks in the kitchen, you need to think about this.... Growing up, my mother was like that....she never let me do anything in the kitchen for fear I would mess something up. It was quite frustrating actually. This even continued throughout high school and when I went to college and had to start cooking for myself....I was completely lost....Kraft macaroni and cheese was a challenge for me. I have come a long way and I now cook wonderful meals for my DH and myself to enjoy. However I still stay far away from my very anal retentive neat freak mother when she is in the kitchen. I have promised myself that I will never be that way....Even though I chase my DH out of the kitchen sometimes and find myself scrubbing counters like a mad woman!!

[lindrusso]

I'm inbetween. I like it to be neat, but things don't always work that way. So, if I have time (meaning it's not 7:30 and the kids are not, therefore, starving to death), I clean as I go, but if I'm running late, I just make a mess and deal with it later.

I totally hear you on the kid thing, Leslie. I like to be in control. But, I am loosening up in my "old age" - hurray! I find that I am much more happy to let my kids help me in the kitchen if I allow myself plenty of time and if I plan to let them help me in advance - mindset is everything to me - it can make or break an experience. So, I pick easy meals that they can help me with and I give them all the non-dangerous chores (and sometimes they really are truly helpful!). And as they do their chores, I try to teach them something about what we're cooking by having them smell the herbs and spices, teaching them about reading the recipes and using measuring cups, etc.

I have found that it really can be fun and the boys are so proud of being able to help - it really helps build their confidence. And thank you michelern for sharing your experience - it is something I plan to take to heart!

[Gail]

Hurricane Gail reporting in.

...need I really say more?

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Gail
Hurricane Gail reporting in.

...need I really say more?


Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnope! :D

[Gina O]

LOL Gail! :)

(as I frequently use internet and bb based ways of shortening things, I often wonder if we need a thread providing the definitions of them all, like bb, LOL, dh, ect.)

Anyway, I dream of being a neat cook and sometimes try really hard, you know, wiping things off, washing dishes as I go, but it still seems that when I am finished, every utensil is dirty, the stove is a mess, and I am wondering exacty what color the counter is supposed to be. I am still questioning my sanity on buying a house with nearly white kitchen flooring. I do better when I have guests, but usually only because I start 6 hours earlier and have time to clean up and mop (and shower) before they arrive.

On the other hand, I love having kids or anyone else help me in the kitchen. I invited my neighbors kids over the other day to help with an apple tart and the Eating Well chocolate cake for a block party. We all had a great time and they were soooooo proud of their cooking skills. Gina

[Leslie w]

Love reading all the posts and I will take your ideas into consideration. I think what will either make or break me is my volunteering to host the annual holiday cookie baking marathon at my house this year. We are talking lots of flour, sugar, butter, eggs,small children... I can see it now. I'll just take lots of deep breaths and crack open a few cold ones.

[luv2cook]

My DH wants me to join the Slob-in-the-Kitchen Anonymous Club :rolleyes:

[Julia1Pin]

I think my DH would want me to join the Bedroom/Kitchen/restofthehouse Slob Anonymous Club.

He thinks we need to have guests over all the time, because that's the only time I clean.

[luv2cook]

Julia, why should YOU clean? Are his hands broken?

[Julia1Pin]

Luv2Cook-

My DH actually does the dirty job - he cleans the Bathrooms (yuck!!!). He also vacuums and takes out the garbage. But again, the only time is before company comes (well, the garbage is more often than that :) ).

Both of us work alot of hours, but it still seems that when the place is messy, I feel that people will look down on me, not him, that it's not clean (I know, very old fashioned of me).

Right now, we're in teh process of looking for a 1-2/month house keeper to come in and clean. I figure $50/visit is worth me free time.