What is Mise en Place?

What is Mise en Place?

Mise en Place (MEEZ-ahn-plahs) - French culinary term that means “everything in its place.” This culinary term refers to purchasing, preparing, and pre-measuring all the ingredients necessary for a dish before you start cooking.  

Mise en place makes the actual process of cooking more efficient and helps prevent the cook from making mistakes or discovering missing ingredients at a crucial moment.

This simply means that before you can even start preparing the ingredients for cooking your recipe, you want to make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment needed (the gathering and preparation of all the tools and food you need to complete the task at hand).This means pulling out your pots and pans, and every single ingredient before you even think about turning the burners on.

This practice (Mise en Place) is especially beneficial when preparing a new recipe that you haven’t tried before and also when preparing more than one recipe.

When you are preparing foods that you’ve made before, you only have to prepare ingredients first that you know you won’t have time to ready while cooking.

Besides for making your life easier by having all your ingredients in one place, you can check that you have everything you need before you start cooking.  

If you practice this easy technique and “put everything in place” before you get started cooking, your dishes will come out better, and you will actually enjoy the act of cooking more than ever.

Using this technique is probably the single biggest difference between gourmet chefs and regular, once-in-a-while cooks.

Advantages of using this technique:

Less stress when preparing recipe.

Read the entire recipe in advance of needing to prepare it. Determine which ingredients and equipment you will need and have them nearby. Any missing ingredients that are not in your pantry can be purchased before it's too late for a quick trip to the store or your neighbor next door.

Once you have your ingredients together, prepare them so they are "cooking ready." This can mean different things depending on what recipe your using.

Examples: Toasting nuts, clean and chop any fruits and vegetables, salads ready-to-dress, letting certain ingredients come to room temperature, pre-measuring spices, preheating the oven or grill, desserts ready-to-serve.

Handing or preparing ingredients BEFORE cooking rather than in the midst of another preparation step when time delays may affect food quality.

Have everything measured and ready to be used in separate bowls or cups (or combined if the ingredients are being cooked at the same time).

Purchase a set of 4 or more small "mini" bowls. They come in different sizes and may hold from about 1 to 3 ounces. You can group ingredients or place them in the order used to assure all recipe steps are included.

If I am preparing a meal for a large gathering or a dinner party, I will prepared my ingredients sometimes a day in advance or even more (depending on the ingredient and the dish I will be making). I will always have the ingredients prepared and ready to use at the last minute before cooking. The various dishes are finally cooked, plated, and served.This way, I don't have to spend all my time in the kitchen, but can enjoy my guests.

This technique makes complicated recipes more fun to prepare when you're no longer doing a juggling act, trying to complete several tasks simultaneously.

You will not overcook foods while trying to prepare the next ingredients for another dish.  

Don't forget food safety as you cook:

Prepare your workspace by starting with a clean kitchen. There is also time to clean the mixing area as you go along rather than face a counter full of mixing equipment when you're done.

Fill your sink with hot soapy water to put your dirty dishes in as your cook. When preparing food, keep surfaces and utensils clean. Surfaces are not just counter-tops and cutting boards; don't forget to clean your utensils, too. Check out the Golden Rules of Food Safety.

Wash you hands between each cooking task! A simple trick that I use, is to fill my kitchen sink with hot, sudsy water. This serves two (2) purposes for me. When preparing food, I can toss the dirty dishes into the hot water as I cook. This make for easier cleanup. As you cook, stick your hands in the water to clean.