For those of us who view cooking as an art, messy is just part of the process. However, there are some simple ways to minimize the mess without dishonoring the creativity.

The first thing you can do to set yourself up for success is to start with a clean kitchen: Put on your apron, wash any dishes in the sink and wipe down the countertops. A fresh start is the secret behind a great meal.

Read on for more cleaning tips to make your life easier and your meals taste better.

Tips for Cleaning-As-You-Go

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Even though cooking can be a fun and relaxing activity and a fantastic way to connect with loved ones, the cleanup can feel stressful and time-consuming. Before you begin, read through the recipe thoroughly, and make sure you have all the proper ingredients and tools laid out or within reach. Ideally, lay out a mise en place (prep ingredients and put in separate bowls so they are ready to go). Cooksmarts.com recommends the use of “prep containers” or bowls that organize ingredients in a logical way. For example, if a recipe needs three ingredients to go into the pan at the same time, sort those three into one prep bowl to speed up and organize the process.

Another clever method worth incorporating is the creation of a garbage bowl. As unglamorous as it sounds, according to the kitchen pros at Kitchn.com, having one big bowl to deposit all the scraps to be tossed out means less mess and fewer trips to the garbage can, saving time and energy.

Keep a spray bottle of soapy water handy to remind yourself to squirt those dribbles and droplets before they become your dried-up enemy.

Tips for After-Dinner Cleanup

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While most experts seem to agree that cleaning as-you-go shouldn’t be optional, some home cooks can’t bring themselves take these breaks when in a cooking groove. Even for those who are great at keeping things neat during the process, there is an unavoidable mess at the end.

After your beautiful meal has been consumed by your equally beautiful family, the situation just gets real. Be sure to soak the hard-to-clean items in warm soapy water and save them for last, so their cleanup will be easier. Invest in a good pot scrubber and some other basic clean-up tools.

If you’ve kept things in order as you go, the after-dinner cleanup is minimized, but even if you haven’t, a little teamwork can go a long way. Washing dishes and wiping down counters together while listening to some great tunes can be fun family bonding time, and it’s an exceptional way to thank the cook.

Quartz Countertop Care and Cleaning

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Some surfaces stand up better than others to the demands of daily life in addition to the cleanup. It’s a good idea to factor in the way you live when deciding the best surface for your family. For today’s typical busy family, quartz remains a premier choice due to its elegance, longevity and ease of cleanup. The quartz countertop is sturdy enough to stand up to the busy activities of prepping and cooking meals night after night and beautiful enough to play into the creative messiness of making a meal for loved ones.

Quartz countertop care and cleanup is a cinch, making the material quite popular in the contemporary kitchen. And the top chefs agree when looking for prep and cook surfaces: durability, versatility, low maintenance, and heat, scratch, and stain resistance are critical, as well as avoiding buildup of mold and mildew. In essence, function and beauty are key—and quartz elegance and strength are the optimum solutions.

If you are wondering what you can use to clean quartz countertops, you might be surprised to learn that quartz surfaces are easily wiped down with a mild soap and water mixture or mild commercial cleaning solution, and they never require resealing. Cooking in a kitchen with quartz surfaces is just more fun since quartz offers the aesthetic appeal we all desire coupled with simple maintenance and quick cleanup.

Celebrity chefs from all over the world, like Chef Ludo and Chef Acheson, have already fallen in love with quartz options from Caesarstone. These chefs continue to educate home cooks on sites like Food&Wine with helpful cooking tips along with ways to simplify your mid-cooking and after-dinner cleanup.

1141 Pure White, Chef Ludo Lefebvre

Read more at caesarstoneus.com