Kitchen School Lesson 7 of 11
Mise en place and reading a recipe
Mise en place is French for "everything in its place." Professional cooks set up every ingredient and tool before they start cooking. At home, it's the difference between calm and chaos.
Read the whole recipe first. Look for:
- Hidden time: marinating, soaking, chilling, resting, rising. "Soak overnight" is easy to miss until it's too late.
- Equipment: do you need an ovenproof pan, a blender, a thermometer? Is the oven to be preheated?
- Prepped ingredients: "1 onion, finely chopped" means chop it before step one. The ingredient list tells you what to prepare; the steps tell you when to use it.
- Sub-recipes: a stock, a sauce or a spice blend made separately, which may need to be made earlier.
Set up your station.
- Clear and wipe the counter. You need space.
- Put a damp cloth under your cutting board so it doesn't slide.
- Get out a bowl for scraps and keep it by your board, so you're not walking to the bin every minute.
- Weigh and prepare everything. Chop vegetables, measure spices into small bowls, open cans, juice lemons. Group things that go into the pan at the same time; for a stir-fry, which happens in minutes, this is essential.
- Preheat the oven early: most take 15–20 minutes to reach temperature.
- Have the tools ready: spoon, tongs, spatula, a plate for cooked food, paper towels, a towel to grab hot handles.
Clean as you go. Fill the sink with hot soapy water before you start. Wash a bowl or board while something simmers. Wipe spills immediately. You'll finish with a meal, not a mountain of dishes.
Work in the right order. Start with what takes longest. If the rice needs 30 minutes and the stir-fry 10, start the rice first. For a meal with several components, write a simple timeline counting back from when you want to eat (the menus in this book do this for you).
Understanding recipe language.
| Phrase | Means |
|---|---|
| "1 onion, chopped" vs "1 chopped onion" | Same thing: chop it before you start |
| "100 g spinach, chopped" | Weigh, then chop |
| "100 g chopped nuts" | Chop, then weigh |
| "Divided" | Used in more than one place; split the amount as the steps say |
| "To taste" | Add, taste, adjust |
| "Room temperature" | About 18–22°C; take butter and eggs out 30–60 minutes ahead |
| "Until..." | The sensory cue matters more than the clock |
Taste as you go, adjust the heat as you go, and don't panic if something looks different from the photo. Recipes describe what usually happens; your senses tell you what is actually happening.