Mise En Place 101: How To Prep Like A Pro
Learn what mise en place is and the art of prepping like a pro. You will understand how this simple French habit can totally change the way you cook, save your sanity, and make your kitchen feel like your happy place again.
Mise en Place 101: How to Prep Like a Pro
As a chef and nutrition consultant, I can tell you this: mise en place will help you become a better and more efficient cook and save you a lot of time and headaches.
Mise en place is a French phrase that literally means “everything in its place,” and it’s the secret weapon behind every calm, confident, and self-assured cook you’ve ever seen. It’s how restaurant kitchens manage to feed a hundred hungry people without losing their minds (well, most days).
At home, mise en place is how you go from “ugh, what a mess” to “oh wow, that was smooth.”
What Mise en Place Really Means
Sure, it sounds fancy and intimidating, but mise en place is just about being prepared before you start cooking.
It means reading your recipe first (yes, all the way through!), gathering all your ingredients, chopping your veggies, measuring your spices, and lining up your tools before the heat even turns on.
Think of it as setting the stage for your little cooking show. You’re the star, and you don’t want to stop mid-performance to dig for the garlic press or realize you’re out of olive oil.
What Most Home Cooks Get Wrong
Here’s the thing: most home cooks skip mise en place entirely. I’ve seen it with my own eyes at the friends’ parties. They jump right into cooking, without the prepping, and they’re are convinced that they “figure it out as they go.” And that is when the kitchen chaos begins, and I jump in to help!
You know the scene: the oil is smoking, you’re still chopping onions, and that jar of paprika you swear you just saw has vanished into thin air (i know this very well too, it used to be me!). Meanwhile, the sauce is bubbling over and there is a huge mess in the kitchen.
Without proper prep, it’s way too easy to forget ingredients, overcook your protein, or end up with a kitchen that looks like it survived a small hurricane. Cooking starts to feel stressful, rushed, and anything but enjoyable.
But this process can be easy when you take a few extra minutes to organize your ingredients and tools before you start. Everything changes. You cook smoother, cleaner, and with way more confidence. Mise en place isn’t about being fancy; it’s about staying calm, cooking smarter, and actually having fun in your kitchen.
Why It Changes Everything
When I first started cooking professionally, I thought mise en place was just chef snobbery, like, who really needs to measure out everything in tiny bowls? Then I realized: it’s not about looking fancy. It’s about flow. It is so much easier this way, and the flow is essential in the kitchen. Plus, it is easy to forget to add ingredients. It helps you to move smoothly from one step to the next. No more panic chopping or spilled spices. No more burnt onions because you were still peeling carrots.
And from a nutrition perspective? Mise en place helps you cook more mindfully. You start noticing the colors, the smells, the textures. You appreciate the process instead of rushing to the end. And that, my friend, is how cooking becomes self-care, not just another chore.
| Dish | Mise en Place Example | Why It Helps |
|---|
| Stir-Fry | Chop all veggies (bell peppers, onions, carrots), mince garlic and ginger, measure soy sauce, sesame oil, and have protein sliced and ready. | High-heat cooking moves fast, once you start, there’s no time to chop! |
| Soup or Stew | Dice onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes; measure broth and spices; open cans and rinse beans before you begin. | Keeps you from scrambling while the aromatics sauté. |
| Salad with Homemade Dressing | Wash and dry greens, chop veggies, toast nuts or seeds, and whisk dressing ingredients in advance. | Everything stays crisp and the dressing emulsifies perfectly. |
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| Roasted Chicken Dinner | Mix marinade, chop veggies for roasting, measure seasonings, and preheat oven before handling the chicken. | Smooth flow from prep to oven, no cross-contamination panic. |
| Baking Cookies | Measure all dry ingredients, soften butter, line trays with parchment, and preheat the oven. | Prevents that “oops, forgot the baking soda” moment. |
| Taco Night | Shred lettuce, slice avocado, dice tomatoes, warm tortillas, and portion out fillings and toppings. | Everyone assembles quickly, and dinner feels effortless. |
| Smoothie Prep | Portion frozen fruit, pre-measure nut butter or protein powder, and keep greens washed and ready. | Mornings move faster and cleanup is minimal. |
| Weeknight Pasta | Boil water, mince garlic, measure olive oil, grate cheese, and prep veggies or sauce ingredients. | You can toss it all together while pasta cooks, timing perfection. |
How to Do Mise en Place Like a Pro
1. Start with the recipe.
You have to read the recipe through once (or twice). Know what you’re cooking before you even open the fridge. This helps you see what needs to be chopped, marinated, or preheated ahead of time.
2. Gather your gear.
Check if you have all the equipment, cutting board, mixing bowls, measuring spoons, skillet, and wooden spoon, all within reach. You’ll thank yourself later when you don’t have to look for a spatula while your onions are burning.
3. Prep your ingredients.
Chop your veggies, measure your liquids, and portion out spices. I love using little ramekins or jars for this.
4. Keep it clean as you go.
An important pro’s trick is cleaning between steps. Wipe the counter, wipe your knife, toss scraps, rinse the cutting board. This step just makes everything so much easier without a mess.
5. Create your cooking zone.
Lay out your ingredients in the order you’ll use them. Put the things you’ll need first in front, and keep your tools handy. It’s like setting up your own personal kitchen command center.
Examples of Mise en Place
| Example | Why It Helps | Problems If Skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Chopping all vegetables before stir-frying | Ensures quick, even cooking | Overcooked or uneven veggies while trying to prep on the fly The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Bringing butter to room temperature before baking | Makes for the right texture | Dense, flat baked goods because cold butter doesn’t incorporate well The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Cracking eggs into a bowl before adding to batter | Lets you catch shell bits or bad eggs | Shell fragments in the batter, or you accidentally ruin the whole batch The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Measuring spices before starting a curry | Helps get balanced flavors | You might forget a spice, or over-/under-season The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Organizing all your tools before cooking | Keeps your workflow smooth | You waste time digging for a spatula or utensil mid-recipe The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Portioning pasta & prepping sauce ingredients ahead | Keeps timing tight | Pasta gets overcooked while you scramble with the sauce The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Pre-measuring broth or other liquids for risotto | Helps maintain consistency | Running out of liquid or adding too much too late, which ruins texture The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Prepping and marinating meat before grilling | Enhances flavor & keeps cooking even | Rushed seasoning and uneven cooking The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Reading through the full recipe first | Helps you plan and prevent surprises | You might realize halfway through that a step takes hours (or an ingredient is missing) The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Toasting nuts or spices ahead of time | Adds deeper flavor & control | Uneven toasting, burning, or forgetting to toast at all The Reluctant Gourmet |
| Washing & drying greens before salad assembly | Keeps texture crisp and fresh | Soggy greens, last-minute washing panic, or realizing greens were never cleaned |
Mise en place isn’t just for the kitchen; it’s a life skill. It’s organization, mindfulness, and intention all rolled into one. Whether you’re prepping dinner, planning your week, or just trying to survive Monday, “everything in its place” keeps you grounded.
So next time you cook, take an extra five minutes to prep your ingredients and set up your space. You’ll notice the difference right away, the ease, the calm, the confidence.
Because when your mise is in place, your mind is too.
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