At some point I learned to clean as I cook, washing each item immediately as I'm done with the step that uses it. If you can get in the habit, it's so much easier. Never a huge stack to clean and nothing sits there getting stuck on the pot/plate/whatever. Dishes are done before sitting down to eat and there's only a couple when you're done eating.
You don't need any more than 2 cooking vessels be that a pot and pan or 2 pots. If you use more stop it! Also do the bloody dishes I ain't your mother! How can 1 person use 4 plates and 12 forks before dinner in 1 day!?! How!
Maybe for you, but I'm the one who does the dishes, if every plate and half the cups are dirty in a single day when I've been at work, then I'd like to know how 2 meals used 6 plates and a dozen cups.
What are you on about? Just the other night I had a pan for roasting seeds, a pot for building a sauce, a pan for cooking protein and another pot for cooking my starch. And that's just a Tuesday meal. If I made a dedicated effort to be minimal with vessels, I'd still have to wait for them to cool for cleaning.
Also, to all the clean while you cook advocates on here, that's easier to do with a known preparation. When you've Just downloaded a new recipe and you have no idea what you are doing, your often don't have the bandwidth to leave the project and start cleaning.
This reminds me of the time someone on the Internet argued with me that it should never take more than an 30 minutes to make a risotto from inception of the idea to plating, even in the smallest of kitchens.
Like alright my guy, come to my tiny ass kitchen, find all the pans and utensils, find the ingredients, and have it on a plate in an hour. Did my wife put the whisk in the knife drawer? Or maybe it's still dirty in the dishwasher. Is my chicken stock in the pantry? Is the parmasean in the cheese drawer or is it in the freezer?
Realistically it's going to take a half hour just to prep, and once you start plating, welcome to my personal hell since there is space for four plates if, and only if, there is absolutely nothing else on the counter, and two of those plates will be at opposite corners of the kitchen.
Realistically, cleaning as you cook just doesn't work for all kitchens, meals, and other situations.
Also, to all the clean while you cook advocates on here, that's easier to do with a known preparation. When you've Just downloaded a new recipe and you have no idea what you are doing, your often don't have the bandwidth to leave the project and start cleaning.
Bruh recipes take on average like a few minutes to read through. No one's asking anyone to memorize anything, just read maybe two or three hundred words before starting to cook so you have an idea of what you're doing
There are some dishes that should only be handwashed though. Most knives, pots, and pans shouldn't be dishwashed. Even the ones that claim to be dishwasher safe will not last as long if dishwashed.
If it can't be cleaned in the dishwasher, it isnt for me. Dont care what the label says. I put every dish through the crucible. If it melts, it's trashed. If it cracks, it's trashed. No pussy dishes in my kitchen. Get in the magic scalding water box and quit your bitchin'.