Mise en place, literally ‘put in its place’, is the difference between a kitchen that runs smoothly and a kitchen in panic. It means: everything prepared and within reach before you start cooking. It is the first habit professional cooks learn, and the fastest way to cook better at home.
It seems time-consuming, but in the end it saves time and stress. You cook more calmly, forget less and make fewer mistakes. Your dish is on the table faster, because you don’t have to search in the middle of cooking.
The order that works
- Read the whole recipe through first, including the steps that only come in an hour. Nothing is more annoying than discovering halfway that something needs to marinate overnight.
- First gather all the ingredients and set them out in order of use.
- Cut and weigh everything before the heat goes on. Once the pan is hot, you have no time to calmly chop an onion.
- Set out the equipment you need: the right pan, a slotted spoon, a thermometer. Searching while something burns is too late.
- Clean up as you go: a clean workspace is more pleasant and safer.
Counting back from the serving moment
Don’t plan a meal from beginning to end, but counting back from the serving moment: what has to be hot last, what can be ready hours beforehand (sauces, dough, marinated meat), and what really has to happen at the last moment (frying something, garnishing)? That prevents everything from having to be on the hob at the same time.
An example for a dinner for four, serving at 7 p.m.:
| Time | What do you do? |
|---|---|
| the day before | make the dessert, marinate the meat, do the shopping |
| 4 p.m. | go through the recipe, set out and weigh everything |
| 5 p.m. | cut vegetables, prepare the sauce |
| 6 p.m. | oven on, meat out of the fridge, set the table |
| 6.30 p.m. | meat in the oven, put potatoes on |
| 6.50 p.m. | cook vegetables, reheat sauce |
| 7 p.m. | meat rests, carve and serve |
You can see that most of the work happens hours beforehand. The last hour is only finishing.
Mise en place by type
Vegetables
Wash, peel and cut everything to the size the recipe requires. Keep them per dish or per cooking time in separate bowls. Vegetables that quickly discolour, such as avocado or apple, you preferably cut just before use.
Meat and fish
Take beef or lamb out of the fridge in good time, pat it dry and season it. Chicken, mince and fish stay cold until just before cooking. Keep raw products separate from the rest, see hygiene and safety.
Sauces and liquids
Measure wine, stock and cream and set them out. Mix sauces beforehand, for example the sauce for a stir-fry, so you can add them in one go.
Herbs and spices
Set out herbs and spices in small bowls, in the order in which they are used. That way you don’t have to open jars while cooking.
Setting up your workspace
- Put a large board and a waste bowl within reach.
- Put a damp cloth under the board.
- Put used bowls and utensils straight into the sink or dishwasher.
- Keep a clean cloth and a bowl with salt and pepper at hand.
- Put everything you need while cooking on the left or right of the hob, depending on your working hand.
You can read more about the board itself under cutting boards, colour codes and the right material.
Clean as you go
A cook’s motto is: clean as you go. Tidy up along the way. Throw peelings and trimmings straight into a bowl, wash what you no longer need and wipe your worktop regularly. A small effort that prevents you from facing a mountain after the meal.
The most common mistakes
You don’t read the recipe beforehand
Halfway you discover that something needs to marinate overnight or that an ingredient is missing.
Solution: read the whole recipe before you begin.
You start cooking before everything is ready
You search and cut while something burns.
Solution: set everything out and cut everything before the heat goes on.
You plan everything at the same time
All components have to be on the hob at once.
Solution: plan back from the serving moment and make things ahead.
You leave the mess
You lose overview and cross-contaminate.
Solution: clean up as you go.
You underestimate the time
The dinner runs late.
Solution: round times to a quarter of an hour and allow a margin.
Practising with one dish
- Choose a recipe you know well.
- Read it through and write the times backwards on a note.
- Set out all the ingredients in bowls.
- Cut and weigh everything.
- Cook and notice how much calmer it goes.
You notice the difference straight away: you cook without searching and your dish is on the table at the right moment.
Frequently asked questions
Doesn’t mise en place take a lot of time?
The preparation takes time, but you win that back during cooking. You don’t have to search and make fewer mistakes.
Do I have to weigh everything?
With baking and sauces that makes sense. With a stir-fry or stew it can be by eye, as long as you have everything ready.
What if I forget something?
A list on paper helps. Tick off what is ready before you turn on the heat.
How many bowls do I need?
Use what you have. Small dishes, cups or plates are fine. You don’t have to buy anything new.
Does this also work for a simple dish?
Certainly. Even with an omelette or pasta you notice the difference when everything is ready.
Mise en place at a glance
- Mise en place is everything ready and within reach before you begin.
- Read the recipe all the way through.
- Set out everything in order of use.
- Cut and weigh everything before the heat goes on.
- Plan back from the serving moment.
- Clean up as you go.
- Make ahead what you can.
Remember this
Mise en place isn’t about perfectionism. It is about calm and overview. Whoever starts prepared cooks without hurry and with pleasure, and you can taste it.