Masterclass
THINKING LIKE A CHEF RECIPE + ST YLING: DENISE MARCHESSAULT
PHOTOGR APHY: DEB GARLICK
Mise en place is the professional chef’s philosophy of order, but home cooks can also adopt a “mise” mindset and experience the pleasure of a well-run, well-organised kitchen.
ONE OF THE FIRST LESSONS TAUGHT AT CULINARY SCHOOL is mise en place (pronounced meeze-on-plahs). Literally “to set in place,” it refers to the prep work involved before a restaurant opens its doors each day. This includes the preparation of stocks and soups, seasoning and portioning meat, chopping and blanching vegetables, partially cooking risottos—pretty much anything that can be done in advance. A chef’s workstation isn’t complete until it’s armed with squeeze bottles of dressings and infused oils, containers filled with chopped herbs, spice mixes, pickled veggies, chutneys, salts and numerous minced ingredients—all in anticipation of the evening rush. Mise en place is more than just ingredients—it’s a philosophy of order that encompasses all aspects of a professional kitchen, from pantry to walk-in cooler, to maintaining a knife’s sharp edge. Home cooks, too, can adopt a “mise” mindset and experience the satisfaction of a well-run kitchen. Here’s how to get started. The first step to preparing your mise en place begins with a recipe. Read the entire recipe to the end, even if you’re the sort of cook who prefers to improvise. If you’re ploughing through something new for the evening meal, you don’t want to discover halfway through that your chicken needs to be marinated 24 hours before its roasted. One habit I learned at culinary school, and continue to use, is to place all my chopped and measured ingredients (neatly contained in ramekins and bowls) on a baking tray along
16 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
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2018-12-17 8:44:52 AM