Confessions of a Dish Pit Junkie

Hi, My name is Kat and I am a Dish Pit Junkie. If you have ever worked in a kitchen, then you know the dish pit. At it's most basic it's the place where the dishes get washed. But it is so much more than that. It's like a puzzle waiting to be solved. How to get a mountain of (if you're lucky) haphazardly stacked, often food laden, dirty dishes, pots and pans, into orderly stacks of pristine clean dishes. It has broken many a dish hand and is why most Chefs DON'T DO DISHES!!! But being the Uncommonly Common-Sensical Chef that I am, in every kitchen I've ever run I never ask anyone else to do anything I'm not willing and able to do myself. If something needs to get done, anybody can wash a dish.

Or rather anyone can be taught to wash dishes. I have worked with some people who have applied to be dishwashers because they thought it was an easy job. And often these people are treated poorly because they are paid the least. In a professional kitchen, shit often runs down hill and when you’re a dish hand you are at the bottom. In truth, they are some of the hardest working people in the hospitality industry. They can make the whole running of a kitchen either a smooth operation or a complete disaster.

Here are some common mistakes that I have seen that, in my kitchen, can make the difference between a job well done and a job done twice.

Use HOT water. Hot water aids in the dissolving of fats. Think cooking oils, but also finger prints and lipstick marks among others. The hotter the water the better. For really stuck on foods, boil your kettle, add a couple of drops of dish soap and fill with hot water, or put in plugged sink basin and fill with boiled water and allow to soak for 5 mins. Invest in a pair of dish gloves. These will help you handle the heat of the water and protect your skin from the harsh drying effects of hot water and dish soap. Which brings us to…

Use dish soap! And use enough to break down the fats that may be stubbornly clinging onto the surface of the dishes. When coupled with hot water, you have the recipe for squeaky clean dishes. I recommend Etee dish soap concentrate for it’s eco friendly, natural plant based cleaner. It doesn’t foam as much, but it is as effective as a store brand, but from a local, green company. Bubbles are not what clean your dishes.

Wash all surfaces of a dish. A dish has 2 sides. If it’s a plate, there is a front and a back. If it’s a cup, there is an inside and an outside. Why wash the bottom of a plate if it doesn’t look dirty? Well think of all the other things that the plate touches. Tables, kitchen counter, someone’s hand. Just because you can’t see the dirt and germs doesn’t mean they don't exist.

Know the difference between clean and sanitized. Cleaning is the removal of physical dirt and debris by using soap and elbow grease. Sanitising is the elimination of bacteria and other micro-organisms. This is achieved through very high temperature rinse or air dry, like you might get in a dishwashing appliance or through a sanitising solution. Most people know about the first step, and for the average home kitchen the first step is often enough. If you are immune compromised or concerned about young children, or a chef like me, then this last step is important. Into a large, clean jug measure 2L of cold water. Add 1 tsp (5ml) household bleach and stir. For small items use this as a final soak; for larger items as a final rinse. The wearing of gloves here is essential! Bleach solution should be remade every 24 hours as the strength of the solution decreases in effectiveness over time.

HELPFUL TIP: When placed in a spray bottle, this bleach solution can be used on hard surfaces as a disinfectant.

Allow dishes to air dry. Using a tea towel to dry dishes introduces bacteria back onto the dishes you just so diligently washed and sanitised. If you are worried about spots on glass or cutlery:

-Mix 1 cup warm water with 1 tbsp white vinegar.

-Using a paper towel, or a clean microfiber cloth, dip it into the vinegar solution and use it to polish the spots away.

If you have a dishrack, make sure it gets a scrub and a spray down with bleach solution on a daily basis too.

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