January 22, 2012

Mise en place...as important in life as it is in cooking...

This is the first in a series of posts coming this year designed to simplify the art of cooking gourmet in your own home. I hope you learn from them, enjoy them and share them with your foodie friends. In today's post, we will cover the first step for any aspiring cook or chef: Mise en place.

If you are a chef, foodie or just someone who knows their way around a kitchen, you have probably heard the term 'Mise en place'. For the novice or at home cook, this may be a term that is foreign to you, which it actually it is. It is one of the first lessons learned by culinary students, it is that important a concept. Many home cooks who struggle with complicated recipes, more often than not, simply have these difficulties because they do not apply this simple method. So today, let's look at its importance, both as it applies to cooking, and, how that translates to life.


First, let's define the term;  Mise en place, pronounced miz on plas, is a French phrase that literally means "putting in place." It is also defined by the Culinary Institute of America as "everything in place," referring to 'set up' in commercial kitchens. It refers to organizing and arranging the ingredients. You will find and be amazed to learn that once you apply this technique to your own cooking, rather than the lack of culinary acumen you once attributed to yourself, in most cases, it is simply the lack of this critical first step that is to blame. I promise, your whole world and opinion of yourself as a cook or chef will rise to new heights once you start employing 'Mise en place' to every recipe you attempt to tackle. (yes, even the simple ones)

Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows you to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is most desirable in recipes with time constraints, but should be applied to any and all your cooking endeavours. If you are a new cook, or aspire to be competent in the kitchen, you can relate to getting flustered (I, your humble Gourmet Guy did as well) when trying to read the recipe with ingredient-caked hands, or while in the midst of mixing or sauteing. You get food on the book, yourself, run back and forth from the recipe to the stove top or cutting board, etc. etc. etc Employing 'Mise en place'  will elimate your frustration, ease any difficulty in interpreting a recipe and allow you the true joy of creating a culinary masterpiece just like the 'big time' chefs.

Mise en place in practice.

Recipes should be read through completely, before you ever start actually cooking, for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are then measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls. Equipment, such as spatulas and blenders are prepared for use and ovens (or pans) are preheated.

It is this simple 'secret' that allows all of our favorite restaurant or TV chefs to make it look so stress free and easy, even when they are preparing art on a plate. Of course proper technique is also, if not just as, important to your success with complicated recipes, but this is step one (1) in bringing your cooking experience to the next level. You will appreciate the ingredients, the process and the results with a newfound delight, while your family and friends will think you are secretly attending culinary school on the sly. Stay tuned to Kitchen Rap and feel free to share these posts with friends, as we will cover such things as proper knife skills, sauteing, grilling, etc., in later posts here throughtout the coming year.

Now I did say at the beginning, that Mise en place can also be applied to life. Not much of a stretch really: Create for yourself your recipe for success, be it personally or professionally. Gather the neccessary components (ingredients) such as resources, friends, skills or career opportunities. Add the ingredients, execute your recipe, methodically, calmly and stress free, then assemble the dish. Either way, cooking or living, you'll be amazed at the delicious results that you yourself are capable of. All it takes is a little Mise en place.

As always my friends,

Bon Appetit


1 comment:

  1. I love the colours in the second picture, kitchens should be bright, warm and cosy places. These have definitely got me in the mood for delicious food with friends around a lovely big table! best kitchen appliances