Simplify Food Preparation with Mise-en-Place

Mise-en-Place is a French term for "everything in its place." It refers to the organizing and aranging the ingredients, from meats, spices & vegetables to utensils, before you begin cooking.

Why is mise-en-place important? And how does it work?

The hectic pace of professional kitchens often makes it difficult for chefs to find, prepare ingredients and equipment, and serve food all at once.

One solution that can be implemented is Mise-en-Place, a collection of good work habits. Developing these habits requires planning, effort, and regular practice. Once these habits are well-established, your operational activities can be more organized and efficient, especially in food preparation.

Here are some steps you can take to implement Mise en Place.

1. Review the preparation list and make a plan.

a) First, review the preparation list during the morning shift. This is necessary to determine which ingredients are running low or running low.

b) Once you have the preparation list, identify how many ingredients you have and which ones you need to purchase. Gather the necessary kitchen supplies (cutting boards, knives, spatulas, etc.), then identify ingredients that require time to defrost.

c) Plan and combine similar tasks, such as chopping vegetables for multiple recipes, so they can be done simultaneously.

2. Prioritize work

Prioritize the most urgent tasks to prepare first based on the preparation list to avoid selling out. However, there's still time to prepare any running out ingredients.

3. Gather the necessary equipment

Make sure all equipment is functioning properly. Arrange the necessary kitchen equipment on the kitchen counter and turn on any mechanical equipment that takes a long time to heat up, such as the oven, etc.

4. Prepare and weigh ingredients

Wash and cut all ingredients according to the recipe and place them in storage containers. Next, weigh the ingredients to simplify the cooking process. For example, weigh 120g of potatoes, place them in plastic bags, and store them in the freezer. This will speed up the cooking process when orders come in.

5. Organize your work area

Limit unnecessary movement by keeping items easily accessible.

Arrange prepared and weighed ingredients on your work surface to reduce trips to storage areas (dry storage, the chiller, and the freezer). Use bowls or trays to collect similar items to reduce trips to the storage area.

Easy, right? Let's implement Mise en Place in your kitchen! The key to good kitchen management is organization, and this method can help save time in your professional kitchen.

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