To be successful, cooks need more than the ability to prepare delicious, attractive, and nutritious foods.
They also must have a talent for organisation and efficiency. In every kitchen, a great many tasks must be completed over a given time and by a limited number of workers. No matter when these tasks are done, they all must come together at one crucial point: service time. Only if advance preparation is done thoroughly and systematically will service go smoothly.
Good chefs take pride in the thoroughness and quality of their advance preparation, or mise en place.
This French term, meaning “everything put in place,” has become almost a professional password in kitchens because food service professionals understand its importance to the success of the establishment. This unit deals with the basic concepts of mise en place as well as specific operations that are normally part of the mise en place.
