Ijeoma is my Facebook friend and a chef. A few weeks ago, she was thoughtful and generous enough to share her kitchen rules with us. I added some bits here and there to affirm and reinforce her rules.
- Scratching any part of your body is a big no. No matter what you’re trying to remember please, this act is banned in the kitchen. It will turn off anyone who sees it. Even customers may lose appetite. Scratching your body is a sign of a dirty person or dirty body and such shouldn’t be found anywhere in a kitchen.
- No use of phones. I have seen videos of explosions in kitchens, especially cases where a phone was being charged while the owner was making calls with same phone.
- No wet hands. As soon as you’re done washing or rinsing, it’s expected that you would immediately reach for napkins and wipe your hands. It isn’t a nice look when you have to go around touching other dry things and surfaces with wet hands, leaving everything wet as you go.
- Do not use the same cutting board to slice wet and dried condiments. Also, it is important to note that there are different chopping boards for different things. The board for chopping vegetables is different from the ones you use to chop beef.
- The cutting board must be wiped off immediately after use, and whatever was cut transferred to a side plate.
- Do not place anything sandy that came from outside on the kitchen tables, always place them inside the sink.
- As you cook, you wipe the surface of the burner; don’t wait until you are done. Once something pours on the burner or anywhere on the cooker top, it becomes quite difficult to clean after it dries.
- Meticulously check everything for sand or rocks.
- If it is washable, wash, wash, separate, sort, and wash. Here’s a good place to insert the importance of having running water in your kitchen. It makes every kitchen activity easier and more fun.
- Bag everything baggable inside Ziploc bags, pouches, and cute bowls with covers before storing in your fridge or freezer.
- Don’t keep onions to use later; use them all. You may not know this, but onions sucks in germs and microorganisms in the environment. Leaving any halved onions lying around would make that onion unsafe for consumption.
- No matter how good you are, once someone chews sand or sees hair , you are automatically a bad cook. This is one reason chefs have their heads covered. Also take out the time to debone your fish. A bone stuck in anyone’s throat quickly turns a nice dining experience into a nightmare.
- See the kitchen as a lab. Everything must be kept clean and tidy, so don’t stop wiping the surface. Also, there should be a place for everything. Label your boxes, storage baskets, bottles, and other containers.
- Cover everything because of the flies. Better still, try not to leave kitchen windows and doors open. Once those flies get in, they’ll definitely make it to the living room.
- As you cook, sweep the floor. After cooking, sweep and mop. As you cook, do not trail water on the kitchen floor; even a drop can make a huge mess, so have a mop handy and dry off as you go.
- Do not stack dirty plates and utensils for later. If you can, clean them immediately. Except for emergencies like when you are running against time.
- Before cooking, wear a clean cloth and smell nice. Also, ensuring there’s good ventilation in your kitchen will ensure you stay looking and smelling nice during and after cooking.
- Do not clutter your working space with many things. A busy surface is not right. Make your view very free.
- Have a knife sharpener handy and two extra knives within reach in case.
- No two sizes of knives do the same thing. Keep all of them dry always to prevent rust.
- Joy Mfon Essien is an Entrepreneur and the CEO, of Discover Essence Media, Millionaire Woman Soapworks and Delicioso Foods. Writer, TV presenter and producer, Wellness Coach and mom of two.
