Truth be told, I was once a bit of a messy cook. I couldn’t wait to get started in the kitchen, so I’d begin my recipes without fully planning, measuring, and organizing my flow and timing from beginning to end. I often found myself needing to add an ingredient that I hadn’t yet measured out or chopped. I sometimes found myself running out of counter space, missing a key utensil, or simply working in a messy area because I was prepping as I cooked.
As any experienced cook, or professional chef knows, preparedness and organization is a critical success factor to a well-run kitchen and a well-timed meal.
In fact, there’s a French term used in the professional culinary world, called “mise en place” which means “gathering everything together and putting it in its place.
The phrase “mis en place” can be used as a noun, as in, the setup of the array of ingredients, or a verb, a verb, as in the process of preparation. It can even be a state of mind, of just being prepared.
In modern kitchens it simply means to prepare all your ingredients and plan your process before you start cooking. Put another way, it means ready aim fire, instead of ready fire aim. The art of mise en place ensures you’ll enjoy the cooking process and it reduces stress and mess along the way.
After going to culinary school, working with professional chefs, and opening a restaurant, I learned to appreciate and, actually enjoy the setup required before cooking In my cooking classes, we practice “mis en place” to ensure all components that the cooks need for the menu are ready.
The mis en place approach can definitely be applied in home kitchens. I also like to get in the right state of mind for cooking with a clean kitchen, and a great glass of wine.
Apply a “mis en place” approach to any of my recipes. Or sign up for a cooking class.