Learn Hardcore Japanese: houtyou to manaita wo kataduketa ato, nabe no naka no suupu wo samasite oita. - After putting away the knife and cutting board, I let the soup in the pot cool.

包丁ほうちょう　と　まな板いた　を　片付かたづけた　あと、　鍋なべ　の　中なか　の　スープ　を　冷さまして　おいた。houchou to manaita o katazuketa ato, nabe no naka no suupu o samashite oita.

After putting away the knife and cutting board, I let the soup in the pot cool.

Breakdown of houchou to manaita o katazuketa ato, nabe no naka no suupu o samashite oita.

をo

direct object particle

とto

noun-connector particle

のno

possessive case particle

あとato

after

Questions & Answers about houchou to manaita o katazuketa ato, nabe no naka no suupu o samashite oita.

Why is there only one を after 包丁とまな板?

Because 包丁とまな板 is treated as one combined noun phrase: knife and cutting board.

So the structure is:

包丁とまな板 + を + 片付けた

The particle と connects the two nouns, and then the whole group gets marked by を as the direct object of 片付けた.

What does 片付けたあと mean, and why is 片付けた in the past form?

あと means after here, and the verb before it is usually put in the plain past form when you mean after doing something.

So:

片付けたあと = after putting away / after tidying up

The past form does not mean the whole sentence is suddenly shifting to a different tense. It shows that the first action was completed before the next one happened.

A useful comparison:

Vたあと = after doing V
Vるまえ = before doing V

So 片付けたあと、… means after I put away the knife and cutting board, ...

Is あと a noun here?