Mise en place is a French phrase that means “put in place.” It’s a term used in professional kitchens to describe organizational techniques that Chefs use.
In professional kitchens, organization and preparedness are the two most important factors in efficiency. An efficient restaurant kitchen can make the difference in customer satisfaction.
In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of having everything mise en place before the shift begins, so that the cooking process is streamlined no matter how busy the restaurant gets.
What Does Mise en Place Mean?
The literal translation of “mise en place” is “putting in place” or “everything in its place.” The term encompasses more than just physical organization — it represents a mindset of readiness and focus that extends to every aspect of a kitchen’s operations. .
Mise en place is both a philosophy and a practice, helping Chefs work methodically, reduce wasted effort and achieve a state of mental clarity during service.
Why Is Mise en Place Important for Chefs?
As already mentioned, mise en place is important in order to ensure you have everything you need before you start cooking. Restaurant Chefs need to practice mise en place if they want dinner service to go as smoothly as possible.
To do that, they need to know what their tasks are in advance and set everything up so that when they need it, it will be there. This can include mixing bowls beforehand, washing fruits, toasting nuts, preparing ingredients and having all the necessary ingredients and utensils washed and within reach of their cooking station.
In addition to ensuring operational efficiency, mise en place helps minimize food waste, maintain consistency in dishes, and reduce stress during the busiest hours of service. By having a system of preparation in place, Chefs can also better communicate and coordinate with their kitchen staff, thereby fostering teamwork and collaboration.
All of these things will ultimately save time when they need to actually start cooking. Once they start cooking, they can focus on the recipe rather than whether or not they have all the ingredients needed to cook the dish.
The History and Origins of Mise en Place
The practice of mise en place traces its origins back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the rise of haute cuisine and the brigade de cuisine system pioneered by Georges Auguste Escoffier. Escoffier’s system revolutionized kitchen organization by assigning specific roles and duties to each Chef within a highly structured hierarchy.
The concept of mise en place was central to his vision, ensuring that each station was prepared for service with maximum efficiency. This legacy continues to influence both fine dining establishments and casual kitchens around the world today.
Beyond French cuisine, mise en place has been adopted by culinary traditions globally. Japanese cuisine, for example, often follows a similar system called “kaiseki mise en place,” which emphasizes precise preparation and arrangement of ingredients to enhance the aesthetics and flavors of dishes.
The Benefits of Practicing Mise en Place
1. Increased Efficiency and Focus: Chefs who practice mise en place can streamline their workflow and concentrate entirely on cooking. This makes the kitchen environment more productive and less stressful.
2. Quality control and consistency: By measuring and preparing ingredients ahead of time, Chefs ensure that every dish is consistent in taste, texture and presentation, meeting the high standards expected by customers.
3. Time management: Mise en place allows Chefs to manage their time better by breaking down tasks into manageable steps. It reduces delays caused by searching for missing ingredients or utensils.
4. Reduces food waste: Pre-portioning and organizing ingredients help minimize food waste, which can significantly impact a restaurant’s profitability and sustainability goals.
5. Safety and cleanliness: A clean and well-organized workspace reduces the risk of accidents, cross-contamination, and other safety hazards. “Clean as you go” is a critical aspect of mise en place.
How To Practice Mise en Place
No matter whether you’re a professional Chef or you’re aspiring to work in a restaurant kitchen, practicing mise en place will go a long way in your professional career.
That being said, here are the general steps to practicing mise en place. Keep in mind that established kitchens have their own methods of preparation, which can differ from the steps that we discuss here.
Know your recipe ahead of time
The key to preparation is knowing what you’ll be cooking. Whether it’s at the start of the day or just before you start cooking something, make sure you know what ingredients the recipe requires. In restaurants, there’s an entire menu to plan for.
If you’ve already worked in the restaurant for a while, you should have a general idea of what sells and how much of it sells. This piece of information can help you prepare accordingly.
Make a checklist
To make sure you aren’t missing ingredients when you start cooking, it’s best to make a checklist of everything you need and go through it. This can help you better organize before you start cooking, so once you start cooking you can shift your focus towards making the recipe.
Do all the prep work
Once you know you have everything you need, you can start prepping ingredients ahead of time. This will streamline the entire cooking process for you.
You can get the cutting board and chop all the vegetables and fruits you need for the dishes, trim the meat and grind spices. Then, you can pre-measure ingredients like eggs, flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and butter so you have just enough of them for a single or multiple dishes.
Lastly, you can place all your ingredients in small bowls to make them easy to reach and use. You can organize the bowls so that the ones you need most are closer to you and the ones you need least are furthest away.
To further enhance the mise en place process, many Chefs label their containers and even use color-coded systems to differentiate between raw and cooked items or between various allergens. Such systems help avoid costly mistakes, particularly in high-pressure settings where seconds matter.
Clean as you go
A clean work station is an organized and efficient work station. This step is pretty self-explanatory. Once you’re done with a dish, clean your workspace so that you’re instantly prepared for the next task.
Take the dirty dishes to the dishwasher and wipe down dirty stains from utensils and spots to prevent cross-contamination.
Key Takeaways
Working in a professional kitchen can be hectic. Professional Chefs use mise en place to reduce the chaos and any unexpected roadblocks.
It also allows them to get done with the preparation part of cooking and only focus on cooking the dish.
The whole concept comes from the kitchen brigade system created by Georges Auguste Escoffier. He was a legendary French Chef who changed the way kitchens operate.
His system made it so that every person in the kitchen had a role that they had to fulfill to ensure everything runs smoothly. To do that, there had to be a ranking system, just like in the military. The highest rank in the kitchen was the Chef de Cuisine, followed by Sous Chef, then the Station Chef, and lastly, Commis Chefs.
Mise en place has become a fundamental skill taught in culinary schools around the world. It transcends the restaurant industry and can be applied to home kitchens, catering services, food trucks and even non-culinary industries such as event planning and project management, where preparation and organization lead to better outcomes.
By embracing mise en place, anyone working in a fast-paced environment can achieve greater productivity, creativity, and satisfaction.
FAQs About Mise en Place
‘Mise en place’ is a French culinary term that translates to “putting in place” or “everything in its place.” It refers to the practice of preparing and organizing all ingredients and equipment before cooking begins.
This includes tasks like washing, choppin, and measuring ingredients, as well as setting out necessary tools. By having everything ready and in order, Chefs can work more efficiently and maintain a smooth workflow in the kitchen.
Mise en place is crucial because it enhances efficiency, reduces errors and ensures a seamless cooking process. By organizing ingredients and tools beforehand, Chefs can focus solely on cooking, leading to better time management and consistent dish quality. This preparation also minimizes the risk of missing ingredients or steps, contributing to a more organized and stress-free kitchen environment.
Professional Chefs implement mise en place by meticulously preparing their stations before service. This involves tasks such as chopping vegetables, portioning meats, measuring spices and arranging tools within easy reach.
Such organization allows them to execute dishes swiftly and maintain consistency, especially during busy service periods.
The steps of mise en place include:
- Reading the recipe thoroughly to understand all requirements.
- Gathering all necessary ingredients and equipment.
- Washing, peeling, chopping, and measuring ingredients as needed.
- Organizing the prepared ingredients and tools in an orderly manner for easy access during cooking.
Following these steps ensures a smooth and efficient cooking process.
Common mise en place techniques include:
- Pre-chopping vegetables and herbs.
- Measuring and portioning ingredients in advance.
- Setting up cooking stations with necessary tools and equipment.
- Preparing sauces, stocks, or other components ahead of time.
These techniques help streamline the cooking process and ensure readiness for each step of a recipe.
