Mise en placeis a french term which means things in place. You hear it in professional kitchens where it means tools ready, foods prepped, portions measured, area clean, oven heated, butter clarified, and so on. In short, it means -- are you ready to cook?
Watch a good chef on television and check out the mise en place. Everything is in little glass bowls, measured out. If he needs a half a cup of chopped onions to throw in the pan, there they are, all chopped and measured. No hasty fumbling while an onion is peeled, chopped, etc. There are plenty of spoons and spatulas, and beneath the counter is a stack of pans and pots. It's just one, two three, and as if by magic a beautiful dish is prepared.
Well, no magic. If you've a dinner party Saturday night, take an hour in the afternoon. Prepare yourself: Peel and wash vegetables, slice or chop onions, mince garlic, measure butter, seasonings, garnishes, liquids. Put everything in little bowls.
If you invest in a small pizza pan, about 12" in diameter, then you can arrange all these bowls on the pan, cover the whole thing with saran wrap, and go read a book.
When it's dinner time take out the tray an0d set it beside the stove. Instant mise en place. With everything measured and cut, you can make schnitzel in five minutes, veal scallopine in four, and beef stroganoff in three -- literally.
Just remember: Things in their place. An hour in the slow afternoon or morning means a swift and enjoyable five minutes in the kitchen.
Why mise-en-place? A good mis-en-place is what makes the difference between cooking as art and cooking as work. When you begin a meal, unprepared, there are too many things to do at once -- chopping and slicing, boiling, heating, cleaning. Your mind is drawn half a dozen directions at once.
With a solid mis-en-place the stage is set to cook, to explore the art and dazzle of cooking. Everything is ready for you. Your mind can focus on the dish.
In a good kitchen, especially french and chinese kitchens, the mis en place is thorough and complete. Prior to service, cooks spend hours chopping parsley, mincing garlic, clarifying butter, cleaning shrimp, pre-cooking and cooling pasta. Spices, wines, oils, sauces needed are ready in tidy rows, close to where they will be required.