I especially like to use it with my kids. If you get them their own set of dishes, so that they are each different, there is no question as to who is leaving their dishes laying around and there are far less dishes to deal with, no more counters full of dirty cups etc.

It also encourages rinsing and reusing instead of just grabbing a new one.

I like the idea so much that I have written an article about it
http://www.queenofkaos.com/at-.....shes.shtml

Another thing that I find helps is to store things I don’t use often in another drawer.

We have a baking drawer where I put our measuring cups and any utensils for baking so that it doesn’t clutter up the rest of our drawers and cupboards.

For example, when baking, they always want you to use at least two bowls, one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ones. But you only need one. For example, for banana bread (which could easily use four bowls), start with a big plastic bowl. Put the butter in and melt it in the microwave. Add all the liquid ingredients and beat well. Throw in the bananas, mash them, and mix them in. Then add the flour, just piling it on top. Put the other dry ingredients on top of that. Then mix the dry ingredients as well as you can without mixing in the wet ingredients (because once the baking powder and baking soda get wet, they start reacting and you want to put this off as long as possible). If two of the dry ingredients are different colors (like whole wheat flour and baking soda or like anything and cinnamon), you can tell pretty easily how well you are doing. Then mix it all together. Use only a fork for all of the above actions.

Try to think creatively about your other cooking to see if you can reduce dishes in similar ways. Think of it like a strategy game. Also, look into more one-dish meals.

Finally, you can do dishes during any down time (while water is heating, things are baking, etc.) to help you keep up.

My dilemna does not involve the eating dishes and utentsils as much as it does the preparation pots/pans/utensils. Try as I might I can’t make even the simplest meal without dirtying multiples of everything: mixing bowls/spoons, pots, pans, skillet, measuring cups, spatulas, serving dishes, serving spoons/ladels/forks, etc.

My first roommate and I did this nearly 10 years ago, and it’s even been mentioned on Merlin Mann’s site ( http://43folders.com )

(2) There are certain efficiencies of scale when it comes to washing dishes. Reducing the amount of tableware you have out will certain reduce cabinet/counter clutter, but I can’t see whereas it would reduce dishwashing time. In fact, it’s undoubtedly faster to wash 4 forks 1 time rather than wash 1 fork 4 times.

But I hate to create the additional waste! In your case though, your efficiency being more of a hotel room, it might not be so bad. But if I started using disposables everyday, I’d have a ton of trash. And recycling where I live…they don’t generally take paper products with food stuck permanently in the fibers of the paper.

@tadeusz:
Perfect suggestion on the pots and pans. I keep what I can stored. But I’m completely out of storage. My pots hang above my range on cup hooks, as that’s the only place I could find to stuff them. And they are in such a convenient place, I tend to grab a clean pot instead of washing the one I used before. I know, it’s more about self discipline than anything. I’m working on it.

Spark: as of pots and pans you can easily determine how much do you use them. For example: store _all_ of them as spare and rarely used. Then during one week get some of them as needed back to your kitchen. The chances are that that week had typical pots/pans usage and you can make it without items that you haven’t used in that week.

But the idea is great. I’ve kind of done this for myself, by accident though. I keep breaking dishes! (I’m very clumsy and my kitchen is teeny tiny. I tend to knock stuff off the almost non-existent counters.)