3.1: Mise en Place

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William R. Thibodeaux & Randy Cheramie
Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University

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Perhaps you have heard the saying, “Prior preparation prevents poor performance.” It is a memorable saying that reminds us that if we want to be successful, we must first spend time preparing for the task at hand. This principle is essential in commercial kitchens. When serving a wide variety of dishes to several people a day, preparation is crucial to success. In fact, preparation is a key principal in professional kitchens, and it has a name: Mise en place.

Four Essential Steps of Mise en Place:

Assemble tools
Assemble ingredients
Wash, trim, cut, prepare and measure raw materials
Prepare equipment (pre-heat oven or pan, line sheet pan with parchment, etc.)

What is Mise en Place?

Mise en place (rhymes with “cheese on sauce”) is a French term that literally means to put in place. It describes all of the advance preparation that takes place in the kitchen before the doors open for business. For every dish on the menu, the chef gathers, prepares, and organizes all the necessary ingredients. Vegetables are chopped. Salad greens are washed. Sauces and stocks are prepared. Cuts of protein are trimmed and portioned. The chef also gathers and organizes all the necessary tools he will need once the meal service period begins. When he completes his mise en place, the chef should have everything he needs within reach to assemble every dish at his station. There is no time during the lunch or dinner rush to stop and prepare an ingredient you need for a dish. Let’s say you have a strip steak on your menu served with a bearnaise sauce. If you failed to make enough sauce during your mise en place, you will not be able to sell that dish. What happens when you run out of that sauce and you still have three steak orders to fill? Some of your guests are going to walk away disappointed.

A State of Mind

Mise en place is more than just preparation; it is a state of mind. In the previous example, either the chef did not anticipate the number of steak orders that night, or he miscalculated the amount of sauce needed. Understanding the concept of mise en place means anticipating what tasks need to be accomplished and in what order. It is the ability to be proactive rather than reactive. The chef who masters the practice of mise en place is the chef who is in control of the kitchen. The kitchen is not in control of him. Various external elements, both big and small, can help your “mise en place state of mind”. Looking professional by wearing a proper, clean, wrinkle free uniform and headwear can go a long way to a proper state of mind. Getting your station ready for service is crucial, but so is keeping it clean and organized throughout service. A messy, unorganized station denotes a messy, unorganized mind! Clean-as-you-go principles are crucial to maintaining a proper state of mind, and thus, proper mise en place.

Control the Chaos

"Mise-en-place is the religion of all good line cooks...As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system". - Anthony Bourdain

Every foodservice establishment has to solve the conflict; there is too much work to be done to wait until the last minute and most foods are at their peak of quality immediately after preparation. Mise en place solves the conflict!

Chefs start their work early in the day to prepare their mise en place for service. The goal is to do as much work in advance without loss of quality so that at service time all energy can be focused on putting out a fresh quality product! This preparation covers everything from cutting vegetables, preparing garnishes, making sauces, and cooking ingredients sous-vide. When dinner service begins, the chefs can then arrange and assemble each dish quickly. If the mise en place is organized and every ingredient is covered, a chef should be able to assemble their dish blindfolded, since each ingredient is consistently placed in the same spot. Absence of proper mise en place insures that chaos will reign.

The Big Picture

While the organization of one’s self and station allowing for timely preparation and service is important, it does not stop there. Front of the house management should follow mise en place principles for better service. Successful office management, overseeing purchasing, inventory, cost control, payroll etc., will utilize mise en place principles every day whether they realize it or not! If they did not, they would not be successful! Complete interaction of the back of the house, front of the house, and management is required for complete mise en place and a successful foodservice operation.

If restaurants are the definition of controlled chaos, mise en place controls the chaos!