Mise en place

Mise en place in a professional kitchen

Mise en place (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "gather". It refers to the setup required before cooking, and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift.[1]

Mise En Place Bowls
Mise En Place in small bowls for stir fry
Ingredients arranged in a home kitchen for a peanut brittle recipe

The practice can be applied in home kitchens.[2][3]

In the kitchen, the phrase is used as a noun (i.e., the setup of the array of ingredients), a verb (i.e., the process of preparing) and a state of mind.[4] The term's broader meanings can be applied to classrooms, hospitals, IT departments, and elsewhere.[4]

  1. ^ Montagné, Prosper. Larousse Gastronomique. Jennifer Harvey Lang (ed.). New York: Crown, 1988. Second English edition.
  2. ^ "The Reluctant Gourmet, "Mise en place"". 17 July 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  3. ^ Ruhlman, Michael (14 September 2018). Ruhlman's Twenty. Chronicle Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0811876438. Retrieved 27 January 2015. There's no reason it won't work for you in your kitchen at home.
  4. ^ a b Charnas, Dan (2016). Work Clean: The life-changing power of mise-en-place to organize your life, work, and mind. Rodale. ISBN 9781623365936.