Mise En Place – the Professional Culinary Philosophy that will Change the Way You Cook

Ever found yourself overwhelmed by a messy kitchen, halfway through a recipe, frantically searching for that elusive spice? Chef Bob wants to fill you in on a pro tip to save you from the chaos: Mise en Place. This fancy French phrase simply means “everything in its place,” but it’s a game-changer in the kitchen.

Think of Mise en Place as your kitchen’s zen master. Before you even touch a pan, take a few moments to prepare. Gather your ingredients, measure them out, and have your tools ready. It might sound like extra work, but trust Chef Bob—it’s a lifesaver. You’ll find cooking becomes smoother, quicker, and infinitely more enjoyable when you’re not scrambling for that last-minute lemon zest or dicing onions with the sauce already boiling over.

Can You Repeat That in English?

Mise en Place, pronounced “meez-on-plahs,” is the secret sauce to a smooth cooking experience. It’s a simple but powerful culinary philosophy that just means “everything in its place.” Think of it like a more couture version of the Boy Scout’s famous motto of “Be Prepared.” Before you start cooking, just take a few minutes to prepare your workspace and ingredients based on your recipe. This practice ensures that when the heat is on, you’re ready to cook without those pesky interruptions that can ruin a meal.

The 6 Steps of Mise en Place

The idea of Mise en Place can go really deep really fast – there are countless commentaries on the subject and even psychological studies of its implementation. But for the purposes of a quick crash course for our home chefs, here are 6 easy steps to start practicing Mise en Place with tonight’s dinner:

Read Your Recipe: Before you do anything at all, read the recipe you’ll be working from and create an action plan. Make sure you understand the whats, whens, wheres, and how longs for each part of the recipe so there’s no “oopsies” once you’re off to the races. Pay attention to ingredients that are added at the same time, as you can portion them together later on (in step 3).

Hunt and Gather: Collect all the ingredients you’ll need – and we do mean all of them! Even if the salt and pepper is just a step and a reach away, still bring it down to your work space for the next step. This helps ensure that you have everything and enough of it so there are no sub par substitutions in the middle of the recipe.

Prep and Portion: Scrub, wash, peel, dice, chop, and measure everything according to the recipe. Although it might feel like extra work that delays dinner, it will actually save time in the long run! Don’t try to cut corners and skip the portioning, you’ll be amazed how much it really does help when you can just dump ingredients in without a second thought. Plus it reduces the risk of double seasoning!

Secure the Tool Belt: Gather all the necessary tools and equipment and make sure they are nearby for easy access.

Feng Shui Your Flow: Arrange everything in the order it will be used – this includes both ingredients and tools! Creating a flow streamlines the cooking process and reminds you of the order of the recipe while you’re cooking.

Make it Sparkle: Clean as you go! Keeping a tidy and hygienic workspace creates a stress-free environment for cooking that allows for creativity and fun! Plus, you get to enjoy your meal later without thinking of the mountain of dirty dishes waiting for you.

Why it Matters

Why should you bother with all this prep? Practicing mindfulness from the very beginning allows the entire cooking process to feel more efficient and enjoyable. When you have everything at your fingertips, you can focus on cooking rather than scrambling for ingredients. It reduces stress, speeds up the process, and can even offer you a relaxing break from a busy day.

You can probably see by now that the concepts behind Mise en Place can be applied in just the day-to-day doing of life – in fact, there is an entire book written on how to use this culinary discipline to create efficient, high quality output in any type of work. Chef Bob recommends those feeling the call of Mise en Place (even outside of the kitchen) to check it out!

Try it Tonight!

Now that you’re ready to embrace Mise en Place, why not start with a simple recipe? Gather your ingredients and try out one of Acme Salt’s incredible recipes designed for home chefs! You’ll experience firsthand how this practice transforms your cooking from start to finish, creating better meals and a happier cook!