Rule 24 of 27 · Chapter VI — The Habits of a Calm Kitchen
Clean as you go
Why this rule exists
A kitchen either gets tidied continuously or it becomes a disaster all at once, and the second way is miserable. Cleaning as you go, wiping the board, rinsing the bowl, wiping the spill while it is fresh, keeps the workspace open and the mind clear, so you can actually think about the food instead of navigating a wreck. It is also easier, because a splash wiped immediately comes off with a cloth, while the same splash left to bake on needs scrubbing later. Leave everything for the end and you finish a good meal facing a mountain of dishes and a wave of dread that sours the whole experience. The cooks who seem effortlessly calm are usually just the ones who never let the mess get ahead of them.
In practice
Keep a hot, soapy sink or a bowl of water going and drop tools in as you finish with them. Wipe your board and knife between tasks, and wipe spills the instant they happen while they are still easy. Put ingredients away as soon as you are done with them, so the counter clears as the meal progresses. Use the dead time, while something simmers, roasts, or rests, to wash up and reset, so you are rarely behind. Aim to sit down to eat with most of the kitchen already clean, so the only thing waiting afterward is the plates you just used.
When it doesn't apply
In the frantic final minutes of plating a complex meal, focus on the food and let the mess wait; you clean in the calm stretches, not the crunch. Batch-cooking or canning generates unavoidable piles that come at the end. And sometimes a hot dish simply demands all your attention, and the wiping waits a few minutes.