It’s called Mise en Place and literally translated means “to put in place”.
Ever find yourself in the middle of stir-frying your chicken only to realize you still haven’t even taken the veggies out of the fridge? You know how this ends. After Tasmanian Deviling around your kitchen to keep up with your recipe, you’re left with dry chicken and a disaster of a kitchen to clean up. This does not increase the appeal to make a nice home cooked meal.
As someone who spends lots of time in the kitchen crafting and testing out new recipes, I love it when I come across a kitchen tool or a new technique that just makes my time in the kitchen that much more enjoyable. If you’re someone who doesn’t love to cook, all the more reason to try this out.
I have to admit, I used to be one of those Tasmanian Devils. I just wanted to get right into it. Cutting and prepping everything before I even started seemed like a waste of time. Not sure what my logic was there since these steps are all part of the finished product anyways?!
I think I was finally convinced when I went to a cooking class at the Dirty Apron a few years ago. They had everything set up for us and organized into nice little bowls so that we could just go through the recipes and grab what we needed as we went along. This made for such a relaxed environment so we could just visit as the aromas filled the kitchen and gave us time to get all the clean up done with time to spare before the food was ready. Unfortunately you won’t have these wonderful people prepping everything for you in the comfort of your own home, but you get the picture. Doing these steps before you turn that burner on = tastier, non-burnt food and a tidy kitchen to enjoy the fruits of your labor in. Let’s be honest, the last thing you want to do after enjoying a delicious meal is get back in the kitchen and start your clean up.
There’s nothing crazy about this technique.
1. Read through the recipe. Make sure you have all of the ingredients you need. Sounds simple right? But I’m sure it’s happened once or twice where you’ve started a recipe, only to realize half way through that you’re missing a key ingredient.
2. Yep, the whole recipe. Read through the directions as well. Being prepped for what comes next saves time and frustration as there are often multiple things you can be doing at once.
3. Prep each ingredient. Yes, BEFORE, you heat up that stove and start cooking anything. Wash, mince and chop and set everything aside so that it’s ready to grab and go.
4. Start cooking. If it’s a quick cooking recipe like a stir-fry, you may want to do the clean up before you start this step but if there’s some baking or simmering time, get the recipe going and clean up while it cooks. Before you know it, dinner is served!
Try it out and let me know how it goes! Do you have any other cooking techniques that save you time or make your life easier?
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