Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the responses! I do try to clean as I go, but we have a tiny kitchen and the dishes just seem to pile up so fast. Or maybe I'm just a slob when I cook?
I get home before DH and have to keep an eye on my 18 mth old while also cooking, so that contributes to some chaos too. DH gets home right before dinner and usually takes baby duty while I clean up.
I think I need to do more weekend prep/meal planning. Also loving the suggestions to line the baking pans and try a Dutch oven. Thanks for the one-pot meal suggestions - that's what I was hoping for!

I find it hard to completely clean as I go on weekdays, when I am rushing. But I found it to really help to take a minute to put hot sop pappy water in any pot or an (or rice cooker) that I used so it soaks while we eat. Makes clean up easier.

Anonymous wrote:I recently invested in a cast iron Dutch oven. It was $79 at Target. It is great for reducing the number of pans I use! For example, I made beef stew the other night, and was able to brown the beef in it, then saute the onions and garlic in it, then add the tomato paste and other ingredients and simmer it for several hours. So, one pan for a multi-ingredient dish.

I looooove my cast iron Dutch oven. I bought the Lodge brand (also at Target, I think, or maybe Amazon) and it was only $50 or $60. I use it almost every single day. I do the same thing the PP mentioned- brown any meat first or sweat out veggies, then add tomatoes or broth or whatever.

I'm also a huge fan of steam-in-the-bag stuff. The other day I did steaks on our George Forman grill while potatoes steamed in the bag in the microwave and frozen broccoli steamed on the stovetop. Dinner was done in about 10 minutes total (no joke) and cleanup was also a 10-min process.

I empty the dishwasher every morning. So I can put dirty dishes from breakfast and dinner prep directly in the dishwasher. Only stuff in sink is not dishwashable. After dinner, if the DW is full I soak the dishes and then fill the next morning.

I have cheap plastic thin cutting boards that I put on the counter first if I am doing something messy or cooking w my 3 year old. So all the random spices, flour goes on the plastic cutting board-- which i put in the dishwasher.

Also -- this won't work for everyone's lifestyle -- but for dinners at home w/out guests, I am very comfortable serving things in the pan I cooked them in. One less dish to clean right there.

This is going to sound weird but -- use frozen rice? When I'm cooking things accompanied by rice, I use the frozen bags. It dramatically cuts down on cooking time, and the rice comes out perfect, and then I just incorporate the rice into the dish (instead of serving it alongside) and toss the plastic bag it came in. One less pot to clean (and pans w/rice always seem to take a little extra scrubbing, too).

I pretty much have a 2-pan limit for weeknight dinners. Everything else except for knives and chopping boards goes in the dishwasher.

Some ideas:

tacos (one pan to make a ground beef/bean filling, I heat the tortillas over the gas flame without the pan, the other fixings don't need to be cooked)
pizza (pizza stone in the oven)
pasta + sauce (a million possibilities, two pans)
stuffed baked potato (one pan at most on the stove, another tray for baking on0