Mise en place: What is it and what is it for?

What is mise en place and what is it for?

«Mise en Place» is a French term that literally translates as «to put in place» or «to prepare in place».

In the context of gastronomy and professional cooking, mise en place is an essential concept and practice that refers to the prior preparation and organization of all the ingredients, utensils and tools to be used in the preparation of a dish or service.

In the kitchen, a previous organization is needed in order to fit the time and finish at a specific time from a set time. This principle is generally applied in the catering field, where each process in the restaurant has its «mise en place».

How do you spell mise en place?

Have you ever wondered how to spell correctly that culinary expression so often used in the hotel and catering industry «mise en place»? Often, we see that people make mistakes when trying to write it from memory, and misspelled variants such as «misanplas», «mis and place», «miss and plas», «miss and plast», «mice and place», «misamplas», «mess an place» or «mis an plas» come up. The correct way to write it is «mise en place», an expression that, as we said, comes from French, so be sure to write it correctly in your gastronomic texts!

Advantages of mise en place

The mise en place has several important advantages:

1. Efficiency and flow: By preparing and organizing everything in advance, time is saved during service. This allows chefs and cooks to concentrate on cooking and presenting dishes without wasting time searching for ingredients or utensils.
2. Quality: Proper preparation of ingredients ensures that they are ready to use at the right time and in the right quantities. This helps ensure that dishes are cooked correctly and have the desired flavor and texture.
3. Order and cleanliness: Mise en place promotes an orderly and clean working environment in the kitchen, which is essential to ensure food safety and maintain high hygiene standards.
4. Higher productivity: With Mise en Place, you can optimize the workflow in your kitchen. Chefs and cooks can work as a team in a more coordinated and efficient manner, maximizing productivity and overall kitchen performance.
5. Advance to possible unforeseen events: in case of discovering at the right time when a dish has to be served, it would be difficult to solve without affecting the service without a good mise en place.

How to make a mise en place?

To elaborate a “mise en place” a series of general guidelines are followed, we highlight the main steps to follow in the kitchen mise en place:

1. Planning: Before preparing the mise en place, we must be clear about the ingredients and utensils you will need. To do this, review the recipe and understand the steps, ingredients and quantities needed for each dish. Make a list and organize them according to the cooking order.
2. Tools and utensils: We must have the necessary materials for the recipe at hand, make sure they are clean and in good condition. Having them ready before you start cooking will prevent you from having to interrupt the preparation to look for them.
3. Ingredients: With the recipe clear, we will select and prepare all the ingredients. Wash the vegetables, peel and cut the vegetables and fruits, fillet the piece of fish...Once organized we must keep them in containers or trays and keep refrigerated if necessary. Tip: for fresh leaves such as basil, cilantro or parsley, keep them in a bowl with cold water and ice during the meal to keep them fresh and smooth.
4. Sauces and dressings: If recipes call for specific sauces or dressings, prepare them in advance and have them ready in appropriate containers. Be sure to label them to identify each preparation and its date of preparation.
5. Prepare in advance: If there are preparations you can make in advance, such as marinating or pre-cooking certain ingredients, make them ahead of time to save time during cooking. Some sauces and stews also improve their flavor if they are made ahead of time and allowed to rest.
6. Organizing the workstation: Before you start cooking, clean and organize your work area. Make sure you have enough space to work comfortably. Place ingredients and utensils in a logical and functional way, so that you have everything at your fingertips.
7. Labeling: It is advisable to have all ingredients labeled, or at least, if there are ingredients or mixtures that resemble each other. This is especially useful if you are working in a team or if you have to pause the preparation and resume it later.
8. Final check: Before you start cooking, check once again that you have all the necessary ingredients and utensils and that everything is well organized. Make sure you have followed all the previous steps and have a clear idea of how to proceed with each recipe.

Types of mise en place

The mise en place may vary depending on the type of cuisine, the type of restaurant or establishment and the dish being prepared.

1. The mise en place in restaurants

In a restaurant we can differentiate between two types of mise en place: kitchen and dining room. We will focus mainly on the kitchen mise en place, since it is the one applicable to all types of restaurants, including those without a sales room. We will tell you below about the two types of mise en place in restaurants.

2. The mise en place in the kitchen

In the kitchen the work can become very chaotic, there are many dishes to prepare and, sometimes, a lot of staff working inside. To manage all this chaos, we must have a correct organization of all the materials and ingredients to be used for our recipes.

A correct mise en place in the kitchen will allow us to finish on time, carrying out tasks in parallel that require different processing times (e.g.: preparing a rice dish at the same time as a grilled hake fillet).

For this we must keep a correct organization of all the materials and ingredients to be used for our recipes, and we will call this “mise en place”.

What should we take into account when preparing a mise en place in the kitchen?

• First of all, we must carefully analyze the recipes to be elaborated: ingredients, materials to be used, times. We must identify the elaborations that take more time and determine which will be the method of conservation if we want to maintain the quality by extending the product in time. By making this measurement we can already know if a preparation can be made in large quantities or in smaller quantities, and thus fit them properly in time, whether monthly, weekly or daily, to plan an efficient «mise en place.»
• First In, First Out (FIFO): The first batch of stock in, first out. The first step in the kitchen is receiving the product, where the order is verified and the freshness and condition of the food is checked. Maintaining a «First In, First Out» (FIFO) system ensures that products are used in the order they arrived, avoiding problems during service and ensuring that everything needed is available.
• Defrosting the product beforehand: this is a part of the mise en place that must be done well in advance. Once the product is thawed, it must be kept clean and in its corresponding preservation method.
• Once the kitchen is up and running and everything is in order, the order in which the preparations will be carried out is specified, starting with those that require the longest cooking time. This allows parallel tasks to be carried out, such as cooking products on different equipment at the same time. The organization and order of the products are fundamental in the cook's «mise en place». Maintaining proper record keeping and conditions for products, both processed and unprocessed, is crucial for efficient operation. Once the kitchen is in order, it is ready for service.
• During service, each dish is prepared in a container of adequate size for its quantity, taking into account the limited space in the kitchen. The arrangement of the containers should follow a functional logic, grouping products according to their use, whether they are decorative, for seasoning, garnishes or main ingredients. This helps to prioritize and ensure timely service. The preparation of each dish during service requires meticulous organization, dividing the process into different parts and executing each in its assigned place in the kitchen. This allows for quick and efficient execution of the dish.

3. The mise en place in the room

In-room mise en place, also known as «service mise en place», is an essential preparation in the dining area of a restaurant to ensure that customer service is smooth, efficient and of high quality.

It consists of organizing and preparing all the necessary elements from the moment customers are received until they leave the restaurant, ensuring that the time they spend inside the restaurant is of high quality.

A metre must make sure to have the menus prepared together with the sommelier, properly written and in order. In addition, it is essential to have customers arranged in order of arrival and waiters organized in shifts with well-defined tasks. It is also important to know which dishes or products have priority in the sale, either by demand or by proximity to their expiration date. All this is known as being «en plas».

For a waiter to be «en plas» means keeping his work area in constant check and order. He must make sure that the cutlery, napkins and glassware are as close together as possible, arranged in proper order and clean. It is also necessary to count and check cutlery, glasses and cups regularly. Keeping everything in perfect condition guarantees an efficient and satisfactory service for customers.

Some variables to take into account for the mise en place in the dining room are the following, although they will vary depending on the type of restaurant and the sales room it has.

Mise en place in conventional sales room

1. Table preparation: Before opening the restaurant to the public, ensure that all tables are prepared. This includes setting tablecloths, adjusting chairs, making sure silverware and glassware are clean, etc. It is also important to ensure that there are enough tables available for the expected number of customers and that they are properly laid out to maximize space and comfort.
2. Utensil and equipment check: Before starting service in the dining room, staff should ensure that all materials and equipment to be used are in good condition and clean. This includes glasses, plates, cutlery, etc. If your restaurant still has a physical menu or menu, we must have it in good condition and clean, as well as ensure that it is placed in an organized manner for the moment when customers arrive. Serving stations: when we are talking about restaurants with a high volume of customers, the waiters can have a serving station where the cutlery, napkins, plates, condiments, etc. are located. This will speed up the service and we must always have it in good condition and well placed, so we can facilitate teamwork.
3. Coordination with kitchen staff: Coordination with kitchen staff is extremely important. Once the dishes are ready to be served, they must pick it up and take it to the customers before too much time passes and it can get cold.
4. Customer service: The mise en place in the dining room also involves customer service. From greeting and welcoming customers in your establishments, to being attentive to their needs during their stay and resolving any conflicts that may arise during the service.

Mise en place for a buffet-style sales room

In a buffet, pre-preparation is essential to maintain a constant flow of food and ensure that dishes are well presented. This involves organizing food into stations, preparing dishes in sufficient quantities, and constantly replenishing food during service.

Mise en place for catering

In catering events, mise en place includes the preparation and organization of all the dishes to be served at the event. This involves the safe transportation of the food, the set-up of the food stations and the preparation of the dishes at the event site.