Chefs Know Best: Kitchen Clean-up Tips

By Food & Wine
Updated June 15, 2016
Photo © Antonis Achilleos
The best professional cooks tend to obsess about kitchen cleanliness. Here's how they keep dishes, pots, boards and aprons spotless.
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Kitchen Tips: Cleaning Up

Credit: Illustration © Nicholas Blechman
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"I use steaming-hot water and a small amount of soap, so there won't be any residue. I move the mop in a figure-eight motion as I sweep myself into an exit in order to get every corner. The finishing touch is a water-only mop to make sure there's no soap left." —Executive Sous Chef Stephen Lyons, The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA

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Use Lemons to Clean Dishes

Credit: Photos © Antonis Achilleos/Burcu Avsar
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Michel Nischan of Westport, CT's the Dressing Room rubs dishes with lemons at home.

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Use Chore Boy Scrubs to Clean Stainless Steel

Credit: Photos © Antonis Achilleos
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Chore Boy scrubs keep stainless steel shiny, says sous chef Howard Kalachnikoff of New York City's Gramercy Tavern.

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Use Bar Keepers Friend to Clean Copper Pots

Credit: Photos © Antonis Achilleos
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Howard Kalachnikoff of New York City's Gramercy Tavern uses Bar Keepers Friend for scouring copper pots.

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Use Vinegar to Clean Cutting Boards

Credit: Photo © Antonis Achilleos
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Chef de cuisine Spencer Minch of New Orleans's Delmonico disinfects cutting boards with vinegar.

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Use OxiClean to Clean Aprons

Credit: Photos © Antonis Achilleos/Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
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A fast OxiClean soak does the job on aprons, says sous chef Brandon Rodgers of San Francisco's Benu.

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Use a Squeegee to Clean Counters

Credit: Photo © Antonis Achilleos
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A window washer's squeegee is the best way to keep stainless steel and marble countertops looking immaculate.

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