Mise en place [MEEZ-ahn-plahs] is a French term that literally means “set or put in place.” Mise en place refers to a chef’s setup of essential ingredients and tools that are necessary to begin the actual cooking process. Before beginning any recipe, it is important to:
1.
Have all the ingredients and equipment readily accessible.
2.
Read the entire recipe and make sure that you understand all of the
instructions and steps that you need to follow. It's very important to know the technique, thanks to You Tube, if you are not familiar with a particular technique, you can watch it first. If your mise en place is set out
and organized right in front of you, it allows for a
steady flow of production. Essentially, organization leads to less error. For most professional and at-home chefs, a mise
en place consists
of:
- Kosher salt: Keep readily accessible in a small finger pot.
- Freshly cracked black pepper: Keep in a refillable pepper mill with whole black peppercorns.
- Blended oil (see the Chef's tips tab)
- Flour/cornstarch: Not only is flour or cornstarch essential for baking, they oftentimes act as a thickening agent.
- Sugar/honey: Just as a pinch of salt is added to almost all baking recipes to bring out the sweetness and balance the flavor, I add a pinch of sugar or a tablespoon of honey to my savory soups and sauces. I believe that this creates a well-rounded depth of flavor. Chef Nicole
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