Question about a term... (mise en place)

[LPBeier]

When I am baking wedding cakes I often mise en place because I am making recipe after recipe and am on a time line. It works very well. I get all the wet ingredients for each batch together and then use larger metal bowls for all my dry ingredients for each one. Sometimes the batches are different sizes and so organizing like this can be tricky, but helps in the long run.

My KA gets a workout because as soon as one is prepped, I start working on the next batch so it can go in when the oven is ready (of course I don't mix in the dry ingredients until the last minute.

This worked really great when I made about 20 dozen cupcakes to get 15 dozen good ones for a recent cake.

 

[Claire]

By the way, I bought a package of thin cutting boards and cut them in half. I chop the veggies and leave them on these little mini-cutting boards. Easy to clean, bleach a sink full of them once in a while.

 

[LPBeier]

That sounds really handy, Claire. I have a huge cutting board and I cut in the centre bottom and then arrange the vegetables around the sides and top. Works quite well and I can clean the board in the DW (of course on the top rack and can't get much else in with it). I like the idea of the separate small boards.

 

[buckytom]

I chop the veggies and leave them on these little mini-cutting boards.

this is a great idea, if you have lots of counter space.

however, simple mathematics of volume (i guess 4/3 of the cubed radius multiplied by pi, divided by 2 ain't that easy) would prove that using bowls would be more space efficient.

 

[GrillingFool]

I use paper plates sometimes. I can fit 2-3 items on one, and no washing afterwards!
Lately I find myself playing the "how can I set my MiP to the side and not have to wash another dish" game.
Tonight, I had piles of goodies on the cutting board edge, on the lids of pots to be used, and one small pile in the bowl of a stirring spoon! A poblano got used as a spot to park some roasted garlic and shallots too. (Chili relleno casserole and homemade Mexican rice, with quite a bit of prep work involved).

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I first heard of mise en place here at DC right after I joined (thank you Katie E) and I've been using this method (although often a little modified) ever since. If it's a recipe that has a lot of ingredients or a lot of steps, I use the little bowls and pre-measure or chop everything before I start and lay each item out in order. But if it's a simpler recipe, I just assemble all of the ingredients and set out measuring cups and spoons and all the pans or bowls I'll need. It has helped me so much to start cooking this way. And even though it did seem a little "anal retentive" at first, the resulting meals made a believer out of me. Plus, I clean as I go so by the time I'm ready to serve, most of the extra little bowls, etc. are already loaded in the dishwasher.

 

[Andy M.]

... using bowls would be more space efficient.

Especially if you stack them on the counter.

 

[pacanis]

Especially if you stack them on the counter.

That seems handy and wouldn't take up much room, but I can picture me doing that and having the ingredients sticking to the bowl that was on top of it. And then you need to stack the bowls so the last ingredient you need is on the bottom...
Someone needs to come up with a mise en place stacking device. Something with legs and a shelf system that would let you put your ingredients in a shallow container, like those tupperware sandwich containers, then slide it into the system. Clear containers so you san see inside. And short enough to fit on a tall shelf in the fridge. If you're into that kind of thing

 

[Andy M.]

The problem being that you sometimes need different sized bowls, bigger for mire poix, smaller for spices. Not to mention the problem with liquids...

 

[pacanis]

The problem being that you sometimes need different sized bowls, bigger for mire poix, smaller for spices. Not to mention the problem with liquids...

I understand. The idea wasn't a cure all, just a way to hold several ingredients together in one spot, so you can set it in the fridge if you want. As far as liquids, like I said, the containers could be food grade plastic like a tupperware container, with lids. Lets say this thing is 12 x 12 x 12 inches high and the bottom slide out container is about 4 in high, that's a lot of mire poix, don't you think? How many cups of cubed veggies could you fit in 400 + cubic inches? And that's just one container.

Here's a quick doodle, (it took me longer to scan it and get it to JPEG form than draw ). Don't you think something like this would work? You could even have small containers setting on the lipped top holding your measured spices.

Behold, the pacanis mise en place dispenser! Coming to an infomercial near you!