Question about a term... (mise en place)
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The correct spelling is "mise en place," which means "everything in its place.
Doesn't necessarily mean chopped items. It's a way to be organized when you cook. Just have all your ingredients measured, chopped, etc. and "in place" before you begin to cook.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i thought it meant mees in place to eat what katie's cookin'...
Now, next time you're watching Emeril and you see him grabbing all those small bowls with the ingredients and spices already cut and proportioned and dumping them into the pot, you'll know what it's called
You guys are too much! You know how sometimes you just can't get a song out of your head? Well, that's what was going on with me for a couple of days with this phrase. Then the light-bulb came on and voila .. here i am!
Thanks all for your help!
Thanks all for your help!
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
Yep - everything measured, chopped, and ready to go...it's the ONLY way to cook. It's also a great way to find out you are out of something!
As someone said, Mise en Place means everything in it's place, but doesn't necesarilly mean all the chopped items. There's different stages that can all be your mise en place. First having all your equipment and ingredients you need out in front of you before starting anything is mise en place, this includes cutting boards, knives, whole pieces of food, containers to hold the food and everything. Then you do your prep, clean up, and set up your cooking mise en place - frying pans, spachulas, tongs, all the prepared food, herbs and seasonings, everything. In a professional kitchen everything is a mise en place. Your work station on the line is, everything right down to having your uniform where you want it is considered mise en place. The term isn't specific to cooking either, it can be used for having "everything in it's place" for any job you are doing. If I still had the one page essay I wrote on the term I'd post it here, but that's the jist of the term as a whole, though it's mainly thought to be by most people just having food prep'd and ready to cook.
Jeekinz
Washing Up
jabbur
Master Chef
My mise en place is having all the ingredients out on the counter to be sure I have everything but I don't measure things until I need them. I'm the only one who does dishes around here and the thought of all those little dishes to wash is not my idea of fun. I also don't think Emeril does his own prep work. He probably has a sous chef or two doing all the prep of chopping, mincing, slicing, measuring. If I had that luxury I could cook like him too!
QSis
Washing Up
The ONLY way?
Not the ONLY way, but a good way.
I, on the other hand, tend to eschew the preparation of mise en place (I'm a tad on the impulsive side when it comes to cooking). Often, I haven't even read through the whole recipe yet when I start making it, and trust that I have all stuff, or substitutes that will come close and taste good.
With some exceptions, I just grab ingredients out of the cabinets or the fridge as I need them. I will often CHOP things all at once - occasionally before I start, but mostly while I'm prepping another step of the dish, to minimize downtime.
Needless to say, I sometimes have to either go to the store in the middle of cooking, or I adapt the recipe, which blows my time-management method.
Lee
Jeekinz
Washing Up
I'm like you Lee. I'll mise en place my mire poix (lol) but that's about it. There's a dis-function in my brain that keeps me from following a recipe....exactly.
DramaQueen
Head Chef
I am a firm believer in preparing ahead of time. I always read the recipe through to make sure I have all of the ingredients and that the recipe isn't one that takes 2 days to prepare like putting it in the fridge and continuing the next day. Had that happen once, ONCE. Never again. I often prepare and chop in the morning such as for beef stew. Everything ready to drop into the pot when I'm ready to cook. I hate being gone all day and having to come home and start chopping. Kills the mood.
Before I cook anything I read to see if onions, garlic, green peppers, carrots and celery for instance, will have to be sauteed together. If so, they go into the bowl or zip loc bag together, then dumped in at one time. All wet ingredients get the same treatment. Sure makes the cooking and clean up a breeze.
Never again. I often prepare and chop in the morning such as for beef stew. Everything ready to drop into the pot when I'm ready to cook. I hate being gone all day and having to come home and start chopping. Kills the mood.Before I cook anything I read to see if onions, garlic, green peppers, carrots and celery for instance, will have to be sauteed together. If so, they go into the bowl or zip loc bag together, then dumped in at one time. All wet ingredients get the same treatment. Sure makes the cooking and clean up a breeze.
Some of his shows, I'm not sure which ones because aren't they all reruns anyway (?), he would routinely call someone from behind the scenes to bring him what he was missing. He has around 4-5 people back there doing the work for him. I think it became part of his show because then they would chat a while and the person coming out would always have a headset on.
I don't have the room to have everything ready. I'm more of a grab it as I need it kind of cook.
ChefJune
Master Chef
The ONLY way?
maybe she meant to say "the correct way?" or "The organized way?"
In a professional kitchen, it IS the ONLY way.
DramaQueen
Head Chef
Emeril has staff of 15 people in the kitchen preping, cooking, and seeing to it that his set is properly set up with all the utensils, cookware, bowls, etc. that he will need to do all of the dishes presented on any given show. You can see him prepare a dish on the show, but he will almost always pull one out of the oven that was prepared by his staff beforehand. This is true not only of Emeril but some of the other big name TV chefs.
That's TV.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
that's not ALL tv cooking shows or big name chefs.
i've personally seen bobby flay and martha stewart cook things through until finished, without the "magic" oven. it depends on the dish (some recipes naturally lend themselves to a fast finish), and the shows allotted time and budget.
i've personally seen bobby flay and martha stewart cook things through until finished, without the "magic" oven. it depends on the dish (some recipes naturally lend themselves to a fast finish), and the shows allotted time and budget.
bandonjan
Senior Cook
Jeekinz
Washing Up
maybe she meant to say "the correct way?" or "The organized way?"
In a professional kitchen, it IS the ONLY way.
I was just
I know it's an organized way to do things. I actually mise en place motorcycle engines. lol ....seriously.
And you can't forget Rachel Ray and her "30 minute meals!). She preps the whole meal in the "time it takes to watch this show", and her idea of mise en place is seeing how much she can pile up in her arms from the fridge, counter, cupboards! LOL!
I have to admit that when I am cooking for a catering gig I am all professional and mise en placed, but when it comes to home dinners I am often more like Ms. Ray!
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