What reasonable meals generate minimal dirty dishes?
April 18, 2023 8:31 PM Subscribe
We are currently having what you might call a "family discussion" about washing dishes, whose turn it is to load/empty the dishwasher, and I started wondering what my fellow MeFites make for themselves when they are hungry but wish to add as little as possible to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
For the purposes of this question, let's say that a reasonable meal includes approximately 3 food groups, and it's something prepared at home using multiple ingredients, not a purchased item. (This is an ingredients household, not a prepared foods household)
I'll go first.
Salad wrap: a flour tortilla, lightly charred on the gas stove burner (flipped periodically with tongs, but the tongs stay clean so they don't count), with mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, salami, and a GIGANTIC handful of salad greens, wrapped up and carried (no plate). This takes one knife, for the mayo.
Sandwiches are very obvious. What else do all y'all make for yourselves?
For the purposes of this question, let's say that a reasonable meal includes approximately 3 food groups, and it's something prepared at home using multiple ingredients, not a purchased item. (This is an ingredients household, not a prepared foods household)
I'll go first.
Salad wrap: a flour tortilla, lightly charred on the gas stove burner (flipped periodically with tongs, but the tongs stay clean so they don't count), with mayonnaise, a pinch of salt, salami, and a GIGANTIC handful of salad greens, wrapped up and carried (no plate). This takes one knife, for the mayo.
Sandwiches are very obvious. What else do all y'all make for yourselves?
If you have a garden, eating food directly from the plant means you can rinse it and eat it from your hand immediately.
posted by amtho at 10:27 PM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 10:27 PM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
My wife can use every plate, saucepan and utensil in the house to make a sandwich, so I feel your pain. My most relevant advice is to eat from the pot. My most useful advice however is the other person isn't going to change, either eat it or make a rule that the one who dirtied is the one who cleans. And if that means someone is disproportionately making and cleaning after family meals, then the other person can put that task efficiency to work on some other recurring household job.
posted by Iteki at 10:38 PM on April 18, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 10:38 PM on April 18, 2023 [8 favorites]
I do a bunch of one pot things, though utensils and plates/bowls are needed to actually eat them:
A pot of beans or lentils. Add in frozen or fresh veggies (peas, asparagus, spinach all work), a sausage, and appropriate seasonings.
Sautee up some zuchini and onions in a big frying pan, add protein.
In a steamer, cook some vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, then remove and use the same steamer to cook some fish.
posted by mark k at 11:20 PM on April 18, 2023
A pot of beans or lentils. Add in frozen or fresh veggies (peas, asparagus, spinach all work), a sausage, and appropriate seasonings.
Sautee up some zuchini and onions in a big frying pan, add protein.
In a steamer, cook some vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, then remove and use the same steamer to cook some fish.
posted by mark k at 11:20 PM on April 18, 2023
Cook in batches and then store single servings in the fridge. You use the same amount of equipment making a whole batch of soup, chilli, stew or a sheet pan dinner as you would making a single meal. So cook a batch, store single servings. To optimise the dish ratio, make sure you can re-heat the food in the storage container and that it is something you're ok eating out of as well. That way you create dirty pots/pans/boards/chopping knives etc on the day you're cooking. After that you just have dirty storage containers and cutlery.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:40 PM on April 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:40 PM on April 18, 2023 [5 favorites]
The risotto method of cooking pasta dishes uses one pan, a cutting board, and bowl. You can make more things dirty if need to measure stuff, or wash and strain produce, or whatever, but it’s still a big improvement for me because I have trouble maneuvering big pots to clean them and this halves the typical amount.
posted by Mizu at 12:17 AM on April 19, 2023
posted by Mizu at 12:17 AM on April 19, 2023
I know this is weird but I often make a sandwich or cut stuff like veggies or crusts on a clean hand towel which I then throw in the dirty clothes. I like doing laundry more than washing dishes. I would never do that with meat or a tomato but with lettuce or if I just need a place to set the tortillas or toast while I need to make room on another plate that’s what I do.
posted by pairofshades at 12:30 AM on April 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by pairofshades at 12:30 AM on April 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
If you are OK with a one pot / one wok dish which you serve and eat out of a separate bowl, you can add cous cous with essentially zero incremental washing up by mixing the cous and boiling water into the bowl you are going to eat out of & covering it with your cutting board for a few minutes until it sets. this also doesn't add cooking time as the cous cooks faster than whatever is in the pot / wok. a downside is that cous doesn't really taste of anything, but this can be mitigated with spices or stock cubes or sauce from the thing in the pot / wok.
posted by are-coral-made at 2:16 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by are-coral-made at 2:16 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bake a russet or sweet potato on a piece of tin foil. When it's ready, take it out of the oven and still on the tin foil, cut it open with a fork (when cool enough to handle). Squeeze goat cheese directly onto potato from container of goat cheese. Steam frozen veggies in their bag in the microwave. Add to the open cheesy baked potato. Eat off the tin foil. Uses one fork.
posted by lesser whistling duck at 2:52 AM on April 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by lesser whistling duck at 2:52 AM on April 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Most of my meals are slow cooker, one pot, or sheet pan. Which means I often just dirty a cutting board or two, some knives, and the cooking vessel itself. And I typically wash up the prep items while the meal cooks.
Then I freeze extras, flat in Ziploc bags, which means I only dirty whatever vessel is used for reheating.
(This is less an aversion to dirty dishes and more a hatred of kitchen multitasking. I am typically very fatigued by dinner and can't be floofing about, messing with multiple burners.)
My husband has a talent for dirtying everything in the kitchen when he cooks, or preparing particularly sticky or gooey food, which is particularly frustrating because our dishwasher has been on the fritz.
We've both been working on a mentality of seeing a meal as a complete process (idea, plan, shop, prep, clean as you go, cook) to minimize the burdens on the other person.
posted by champers at 3:10 AM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Then I freeze extras, flat in Ziploc bags, which means I only dirty whatever vessel is used for reheating.
(This is less an aversion to dirty dishes and more a hatred of kitchen multitasking. I am typically very fatigued by dinner and can't be floofing about, messing with multiple burners.)
My husband has a talent for dirtying everything in the kitchen when he cooks, or preparing particularly sticky or gooey food, which is particularly frustrating because our dishwasher has been on the fritz.
We've both been working on a mentality of seeing a meal as a complete process (idea, plan, shop, prep, clean as you go, cook) to minimize the burdens on the other person.
posted by champers at 3:10 AM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
First, be smart from the very beginning.
Buy cut up vegetables, like brussel sprouts already halved or broccoli that's been cut into florets. Get a bag of small potatoes or fingerlings. Buy large packages of meat that can easily be separated. That way you can separate them into portion sizes.
There, you got meat, carb, and veg. You can put them all in an air fryer, begging with the one that takes the longest to cook. So in the above example, potatoes go in first, then add the meat with potatoes, then finally veggies. Add seasonings while in air fryer. BOOM, you haven't used a single dish except the air fryer basket yet and who really washes that every single time? Wipe that horrified look off your face, we all do it, it's ok, this is a safe space to admit these things.
Finally, plates, utensils, and wine glasses to eat with and you're good. Possibly a knife to cut up some fruit for dessert.
Disposable plates, utensils, and cups can also help cut down on cleaning.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 AM on April 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Buy cut up vegetables, like brussel sprouts already halved or broccoli that's been cut into florets. Get a bag of small potatoes or fingerlings. Buy large packages of meat that can easily be separated. That way you can separate them into portion sizes.
There, you got meat, carb, and veg. You can put them all in an air fryer, begging with the one that takes the longest to cook. So in the above example, potatoes go in first, then add the meat with potatoes, then finally veggies. Add seasonings while in air fryer. BOOM, you haven't used a single dish except the air fryer basket yet and who really washes that every single time? Wipe that horrified look off your face, we all do it, it's ok, this is a safe space to admit these things.
Finally, plates, utensils, and wine glasses to eat with and you're good. Possibly a knife to cut up some fruit for dessert.
Disposable plates, utensils, and cups can also help cut down on cleaning.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 AM on April 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
I start the day with protein, ideally a supermuffin with pumpkin,walnuts, apricot. I don't worry about 3 food groups at each meal. At the end of the day, if I didn't eat enough veg, I'll have canned beets with vinegar or microwave frozen cooked squash or spinach.
Bake a potato or sweet potato in the microwave on a plate, add butter salt pepper.
Toast, on a plate, with peanut butter & marmite.
Tuna sandwich on a plate. Mix the tuna in a storage container, chop celery, onion, pickles (in a perfect world these are in the fridge).
I grabbed a tub of frozen soup the other evening, it was lentil, veg. sausage, and tasty. Homemade frozen soups and stews work well for me. I was tired, and ate from the container.
Ramen in a bowl with lots of extra veg from the freezer.
It helped me quite a bit to time household tasks and realize it takes 2 1/2 minutes to empty the dishwasher. Last night, I made pasta with leftover smoked salmon, capers, lemon, & butter. It took n minutes to heat the water, and I used that time to clean the stove & countertop, put stuff in the dishwasher, and prep the food. It took 10 minutes to cook the pasta, so I washed some pots & pans, and did some tidying.
posted by theora55 at 6:35 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Bake a potato or sweet potato in the microwave on a plate, add butter salt pepper.
Toast, on a plate, with peanut butter & marmite.
Tuna sandwich on a plate. Mix the tuna in a storage container, chop celery, onion, pickles (in a perfect world these are in the fridge).
I grabbed a tub of frozen soup the other evening, it was lentil, veg. sausage, and tasty. Homemade frozen soups and stews work well for me. I was tired, and ate from the container.
Ramen in a bowl with lots of extra veg from the freezer.
It helped me quite a bit to time household tasks and realize it takes 2 1/2 minutes to empty the dishwasher. Last night, I made pasta with leftover smoked salmon, capers, lemon, & butter. It took n minutes to heat the water, and I used that time to clean the stove & countertop, put stuff in the dishwasher, and prep the food. It took 10 minutes to cook the pasta, so I washed some pots & pans, and did some tidying.
posted by theora55 at 6:35 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
We eat a lot of one-pot meals, like others have said. My "work too busy, can't think" dinner for days is a (half of one large) bag of frozen meatballs, ~12oz of dry pasta or a 20oz bag of frozen cheese tortellini, a 12oz bag of frozen vegetables (usually cauliflower), one jar of tomato pasta sauce and one jar of water. Into Instant Pot set for like 4 minutes and then left alone for a couple hours, finish by stirring through one jar of alfredo sauce and sometimes a can of green beans.
This is eaten, as are almost all our meals, in some big flat bowls I found that are about 8" diameter, we call them platebowls. WE ONLY OWN 4 OF THESE and that takes up about half of the bottom rack if they're all dirty, because they're a little awkward. Alternative suggestion since you probably don't live out of a van and airbnb are these pasta plates that take up regular plate slots in the dishwasher. We also have maybe 10-12 7" children's plates that also fit in the top rack - this is my compromise on paper plates because these are just very easy to grab for a sandwich or microwaved breakfast item, and they also fit under the platebowls as a charger or non-hot holding platform. We only have four large dinner plates out for regular use, else the dishwasher will be all plates on the bottom rack.
Dump dinners are your friend. Partial meal prep is also your friend, because it redistributes the cleaning over a couple-three days - make and freeze portions of side-dish casseroles, prep meatballs/loaves, flatten and marinate chicken in bags to freeze for later cooking. If you have an Instant Pot, find a food-storage container that fits inside it and use that as a freezer mold to prep freezer meals.
Most of our breakfasts are pre-made casseroles frozen in portions and microwaved, but we do both require daily second breakfasts of fiber cereal, which I have matching bowls to the children's plates for but also my storage container of choice are deli containers in 8, 16, 24, and 32 ounce that all use the same lids, and often my husband just uses one of those. They are straight-sided and so go into the dishwasher non-awkwardly.
Aside from optimizing both our meals and our tableware for less dish stress, it seems like the fairest distribution is to split up days of the week - MWF for one, TuThSa for the other, Sunday is for us my big meal prep day and I will load the dishwasher but someone else needs to come hand-wash the big items when I'm done and sometimes halfway through. On regular days whoever isn't in charge of the dishwasher is in charge of hand-wash, if it's not otherwise determined by "she who cooks does not wash up" rules.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:00 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is eaten, as are almost all our meals, in some big flat bowls I found that are about 8" diameter, we call them platebowls. WE ONLY OWN 4 OF THESE and that takes up about half of the bottom rack if they're all dirty, because they're a little awkward. Alternative suggestion since you probably don't live out of a van and airbnb are these pasta plates that take up regular plate slots in the dishwasher. We also have maybe 10-12 7" children's plates that also fit in the top rack - this is my compromise on paper plates because these are just very easy to grab for a sandwich or microwaved breakfast item, and they also fit under the platebowls as a charger or non-hot holding platform. We only have four large dinner plates out for regular use, else the dishwasher will be all plates on the bottom rack.
Dump dinners are your friend. Partial meal prep is also your friend, because it redistributes the cleaning over a couple-three days - make and freeze portions of side-dish casseroles, prep meatballs/loaves, flatten and marinate chicken in bags to freeze for later cooking. If you have an Instant Pot, find a food-storage container that fits inside it and use that as a freezer mold to prep freezer meals.
Most of our breakfasts are pre-made casseroles frozen in portions and microwaved, but we do both require daily second breakfasts of fiber cereal, which I have matching bowls to the children's plates for but also my storage container of choice are deli containers in 8, 16, 24, and 32 ounce that all use the same lids, and often my husband just uses one of those. They are straight-sided and so go into the dishwasher non-awkwardly.
Aside from optimizing both our meals and our tableware for less dish stress, it seems like the fairest distribution is to split up days of the week - MWF for one, TuThSa for the other, Sunday is for us my big meal prep day and I will load the dishwasher but someone else needs to come hand-wash the big items when I'm done and sometimes halfway through. On regular days whoever isn't in charge of the dishwasher is in charge of hand-wash, if it's not otherwise determined by "she who cooks does not wash up" rules.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:00 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Something has to give. A single meal that features multiple food groups that are all prepared at home simply conflicts with minimizing dishes.
Batch cooking a protein which can then be simply warmed up and added to a dish addresses one of your requirements. Buying raw ingredients that have been prepped, or batch processing at home meets another requirement for being able to add another food group. Doubling up how much you make for a meal allows you to shift some meals to being "left overs". A bit of additional planning would enable you to make rice yesterday that can go in a soup today.
The issue with all of this is that these are all still work - so instead of dishes you are doing extra prep.
posted by zenon at 7:29 AM on April 19, 2023
Batch cooking a protein which can then be simply warmed up and added to a dish addresses one of your requirements. Buying raw ingredients that have been prepped, or batch processing at home meets another requirement for being able to add another food group. Doubling up how much you make for a meal allows you to shift some meals to being "left overs". A bit of additional planning would enable you to make rice yesterday that can go in a soup today.
The issue with all of this is that these are all still work - so instead of dishes you are doing extra prep.
posted by zenon at 7:29 AM on April 19, 2023
Spaghetti. Boil the noodles, then dump them in a bowl and prepare the sauce in the same pan you used to boil the noodles. Or the other way around, if you have a sauce that takes longer due to simmering or whatever. Also plates: easy to wash by hand, easy to fit a bunch of them in the dishwasher. Use them instead of bowls or serving dishes for what you can.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:55 AM on April 19, 2023
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:55 AM on April 19, 2023
It's not as minimal as some of the suggestions but this pasta e ceci (mysteriously sometimes behind a paywall and sometimes not, keep trying and it will appear) recipe is the holy grail to me - one saucepan, takes less than 30 minutes, delicious and my small children eat it. It's low hassle as is but if you used frozen prechopped onion, dried rosemary and ripped up the greens by hand no chopping would be required and your dirty dishes would only be a big saucepan and a cheese grater.
posted by Lluvia at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Lluvia at 8:28 AM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
Microwave ears of corn in the husk. You will need a good knife and a kitchen towel, but depending on whether you are eating the corn with butter or other seasonings, you may not need a plate! It's not a whole meal, but perhaps added as the fresh vegetable to a charcuterie board?
Also there are Korean cooking pots that are designed to go from the stovetop to the dining table, for example, copper pots for making ramen (the metal cools off almost immediately so you won't burn yourself on the pot) or earthenware for making stews or dol sot bibimbap (these bowls do not cool off quickly!). If you make a noodle soup, this eliminates the need for a separate bowl.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:57 AM on April 19, 2023
Also there are Korean cooking pots that are designed to go from the stovetop to the dining table, for example, copper pots for making ramen (the metal cools off almost immediately so you won't burn yourself on the pot) or earthenware for making stews or dol sot bibimbap (these bowls do not cool off quickly!). If you make a noodle soup, this eliminates the need for a separate bowl.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:57 AM on April 19, 2023
An alternative to the one-pot meal is the sheet-pan meal, which aren't stew-like the way one-pot meals are, so you've got different textures. NYT Cooking has 93 sheet-pan recipes. I've made a few of them.
These will often involve using a knife and a bowl to mix up a sauce, but the utensil count is not too bad. If you use parchment paper on the sheet-pan, it'll be easier to clean.
posted by adamrice at 10:16 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
These will often involve using a knife and a bowl to mix up a sauce, but the utensil count is not too bad. If you use parchment paper on the sheet-pan, it'll be easier to clean.
posted by adamrice at 10:16 AM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
What about foil pocket meals? A lot of them can be made without making much if anything in the way of dirty dishes. I’ve made about a third of the ones here successfully: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g2854/foil-pack-recipes/. Since I usually hand rinse a single cutting board and knife anyway and/or buy frozen or precut veggies (I have fatigue issues), these require minimal clean up, are tasty, involve veggies and often protein, and bonus, are customizable for different tastes. Highly recommend the sausage and peppers or gnocchi ones.
posted by eleanna at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by eleanna at 12:54 PM on April 19, 2023 [2 favorites]
You get a sheet pan and put a big piece if parchment paper on it. This will keep the pan perfectly clean as long as there is ample paper such that what you bake on top of it doesn’t come into contact with the pan. Next add a half of a large fish with the skin on and placed down, like salmon or whole trout (they’re healthier because the skin has lots of omega-3 fatty acid). Rub a small amount of evoo over the fish with your fingers. Wash your hands. Add salt, pepper and/ or spices of your choice, preferably Penzy’s. Next add washed small potatoes that have been microwaved on a paper towel until just slightly still firm, and asparagus spears, both lightly rubbed with evoo. Place in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes, do not open the door. Remove the pan and let sit for 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a large fistful of rough chopped fresh herbs, like basil and dill. Place a sheet of butcher paper cut from a roll on the table. Place food directly onto the paper, eat. You can pass a jug if milk around to wash it all down. When done, wrap food remains inside the butcher paper and throw away. You will only need to wash your utensils and a knife.
You can also eat countless other foods this way, but I would strongly advise against watery or runny foods. Go with things like ribs, shellfish, burgers, herb chicken, even meatloaf. Cooking times will vary. Use as many sheet pans as you like, just be mindful of the parchment paper cover.
This question reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the dad used Windex to clean the dishes, so maybe consider that if you use plates and stuff.
posted by waving at 10:20 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
You can also eat countless other foods this way, but I would strongly advise against watery or runny foods. Go with things like ribs, shellfish, burgers, herb chicken, even meatloaf. Cooking times will vary. Use as many sheet pans as you like, just be mindful of the parchment paper cover.
This question reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the dad used Windex to clean the dishes, so maybe consider that if you use plates and stuff.
posted by waving at 10:20 PM on April 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
A ploughman's lunch: toast, a small bowl of olive oil for dipping, hummous, halved cherry tomatoes and a boiled egg. My variation is corn chips (the plain kind, not Doritos), hummous, sliced carrots or celery, sliced cheese, maybe some salami.
posted by happyfrog at 4:46 PM on April 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by happyfrog at 4:46 PM on April 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
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Grilled protein/veg/carb. Ingredients go in tinfoil packets or just directly on the grill, then eat out in the great outdoors, weather permitting. Tinfoil gets thrown away. You dirty one serving dish, utensils, and may choose to dirty dishes or use paper plates.
Sheet pan meal. You dirty one sheet pan, and one utensil to stir whatever is on the pan. I like doing roast chicken thighs with veg. Possibilities are honestly endless with this one.
Slow cooker stews. You dirty the slow cooker and a serving utensil. Maybe a cutting board and knife.
Slow cooker pork shoulder, then make that into pulled pork and do tacos. If you keep taco toppings in their original containers and don’t plate them into dishes for serving, you can minimize dishes.
posted by slateyness at 9:20 PM on April 18, 2023