What is “Mise En Place”?

You probably heard this term before.  Watching a cooking show  or maybe as a staff worker in a food service establishment.  This term makes or breaks a professional cook.  This shows the Executive Chef if their new cook knows what the hell they are doing.  Mise En Place basically means “to put in a proper place”. 

Have you ever watched that tv cook prepare his great culinary delight right by the stove?  They have all their ingredients in little glass bowls!  Imagine actually preparing your ingredients by the amounts needed?  Teaspoon of salt already measured in a little bowl ready to dump in?  This is MISE EN PLACE!  Basically you get everything ready before you begin.  

How many times have I seen cooks fumbling around the kitchen or bake shop looking for the nutmeg!  It drives Chef’s crazy watching their cooks flutter like a fish out of water running around looking through shelves for that one ingredient.  That brings up another statement to my mind: ” A place for everything and everything in its place!” 

I have heard this statement on many cooking shows and they seem to never explain what that term means!  As always email me with any culinary questions or comments.

Until next time…….Chef