Mise en Place and other chef hacks you should know in a home kitchen
I was no longer full-time in the kitchen here. But I occasionally assisted the Corporate Pastry Chef, Susan Notter, (right) who taught workshops to professional chefs. This was taken at the Disney resort in Honolulu, with the Executive Pastry Chef of the property.
You know how, when you ask an employee at the grocery store where a specific item is and they respond “aisle 9 on the right 3rd shelf halfway down the aisle”. That’s my kitchen. My extreme level of organization stems from downright laziness. I’m too lazy to be disorganized. I once heard a chef say “I don’t know if I’m lazy, or smarter.” I cannot be bothered walking around looking for things. If my staff didn’t put things back where they belonged, if I had to correct them. I might not have been so nice about it. Some call it OCD. I call it structured.
I didn’t attend culinary school, but I worked for enough chefs that gave me OTJ education. (On The Job). It was grueling, chefs aren’t typically defined as “kind”, at least not in the kitchen, they’re laser-focused on getting each dish out with exact precision, consistency and timing. But they love to share their knowledge and passion, (mostly through commanding instructions in a very loud voice) so I absorbed every word and action, and adapted their mentality. Yes I was primarily pastry, but in a restaurant setting, it’s the big picture, symbiotic.
I have found that being organized and working methodically, as I did in a commercial kitchen, gets the job done faster, more accurately and efficiently, and more enjoyably. I can focus on the dish and not the distractions. Especially lately, as I’m doing recipe development almost daily, I prefer to concentrate on the ingredients, balance of flavors, textures and temperatures, instead of “where is that spatula”.
As we enter the holiday season, having an organized and efficient kitchen just helps the whole process go more smoothly. Simply cleaning up a few drawers and cabinets can greatly improve how you prepare and serve for the holidays, even if we’re doing it differently this year, or with less people. In fact, once you have a system in place, these tips will help you take your daily home cooking to the next level. It’s far more pleasant and less stressful. These are my 8 great tips:
1 : Mise en Place - (meez en plås) In French, it means everything in its place. It’s the most important term in a commercial kitchen. I always recommend reading a recipe all the way through, then pulling together the ingredients, equipment and utensils needed to complete the dish. You don’t want to find out halfway through that you missed an item or don’t have a specific utensil, then end up winging it, getting frustrated, the dish suffers. This also goes for organizing your kitchen, pantry and refrigerator. Put the utensils spics and other ingredients you use most frequently in the most accessible places.
2 : Don’t spend a fortune on gadgets - my Williams Sonoma and Pampered Chef friends are going to be unhappy with me for this, but a few key utensils are all you need. Basic cookware; a few 10 inch skillets for sautéing, (I use sauté pans more than any other equipment) a stock pot, a sauce pan and a couple casserole dishes that do double duty on stove top and in the oven. And I never use non-stick. My sheet pans, colander and strainer are used almost daily. Silicone spatulas are safe up to 400º (rubber spatulas melt), whisks and a good offset spatula. A good wooden cutting board is safer and more sanitary than plastic. Trust me on this. Portion scoops (like ice cream scoops in various sizes) are key utensils for me, for things from scooping cookies to making meatballs. As well as unbleached parchment paper. Try shopping at a restaurant supply store, this workhorse equipment is built to survive the hottest temperatures and the most brutal dishwashing machines.
3 : A sharp knife is a safe knife - Using a sharp knife lessens the force and pressure needed to cut through ingredients. The more force you use, the more chance you will slip and cause an injury. A sharp knife gives you more ease and control with the size cuts you make, more even cuts equals more even cooking, and gets the job done faster. I have a drawer full of knives, and another container in the garage with more. But I use my chef’s knife (santoku) paring knife and serrated knife the most. Get them sharpened regularly by someone reputable and experienced. I found a man at our local farmer’s market who has been doing it forever. But I didn’t give him my best knives the first time I went to him. Test a new service out with a knife you don’t absolutely love before handing over your most prized possession.
4 : Have a plan in place - Do you watch Gordon Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen? Ever notice how the contestants are shouting how much time they have left with each dish? “30 seconds on the fish, Chef!” Or “1 minute on the rack of lamb, Chef!. That’s a real thing. In a restaurant, everyone on “the line” has to have their component of the dish finish at the same time. You can use a similar timing technique at home. Especially when cooking for a large gathering or holiday. I always work backwards in time. Meaning, I establish what time to seat everyone for the meal. Then I calculate from that time (say Thanksgiving at 5PM) which dishes will take the longest to cook, and continue to build a timeline to the shortest amount of time. For example: The turkey needs a day to thaw (provided it’s frozen) a day to brine, and about 3 hours to roast. I’ll start the process on Tuesday. From there, the potatoes may take about 45 minutes start to finish, (start around 4PM) or I can make them in advance and re-heat. Make the salad dressings and other sauces ahead of time and refrigerate. The Brussels sprouts and gravy only take 10 minutes, so I can make those “ala minute”, or right before serving. Everything is done and ready to serve at the same time. You can do this every night when you cook dinner too. The chicken takes 45 minutes to roast, start it at 4:15. The broccoli takes 10 minutes to steam, start it at 4:45. Make the salad while the broccoli is steaming, set the table, and everything is completed and ready to go at 5PM.
5 : Always taste your food - Extra teaspoons are handy for tasting as you go. Adjust seasonings (especially salt and pepper) and layer seasoning as you add ingredients to a dish. Finally, finish with a good, crunchy sea salt, my favorite is Maldon. It adds a finishing touch and an extra texture element.
6 : Don’t let anything go to waste - how many overripe bananas have you thrown away? Did you know you can freeze avocados? Do you go to the grocery store and buy a bag of frozen fruit for smoothies? Did it occur to you that you could peel and freeze the bananas? It takes seconds. Same with overripe vegetables and other fruits. Cut them into bite-size pieces, lay them out on a sheet pan with parchment and pop them into the freezer. This keeps them from freezing into one big lump. Now you have what we call in the business, “IQF”. Individually Quick Frozen. Once they’re solid, drop them into a ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. Use them in smoothies, steam or roast frozen veggies in the oven right from the freezer. Do you know what’s in the “soup of the day” ? Everything from yesterday! In fact, I used to work for a chef who, on his menu, called the daily soup “Soup of Yesterday”. I would make “Sorbet of the Day” from leftover berries and other fruits to save waste as well. Do this at home and watch your grocery bill improve.
7 : Clean as you go - Have suds in the sink and a drying mat or rack in place. When you’re finished with something, drop it in the suds. When you have a break in the action, reach in, wash and rinse. Let everything air dry. (I never understood wiping clean dishes with a towel which just puts bacteria back onto the clean items). Exception to this rule: Do NOT ever place knives into sudsy water, or even into an empty sink, where something larger could be placed on top of it. You’ll never find it when you reach into the sink, but it will find you. Rest the knife on a dish or the edge of the sink in an area designated for “dirty”, then hand wash and air dry in a safe place.
8 : Learn basic knife techniques - I have some technique videos on YouTube. “How to chop an onion” or “cut a pepper” or cauliflower. Simple time-savers. Buy a rotisserie chicken and practice how to break it down into 8 pieces; 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks and 2 wings. Understand how to trim meat, it’s simple and once you know a few knife tricks, it won’t be so intimidating! I used to buy whole fish just to practice filleting.
Finally, my personal pet peeves - I don’t use the word “hate” often, but I hate sheet pan dinners. First of all, mixing raw proteins and vegetables on the same pan is a recipe for cross-contamination and ultimately food poisoning. Secondly and almost as important, how do strips of peppers and onions cook at the same rate as a chicken breast? You have burned vegetables by the time the chicken is done. I don’t care if you cut the chicken up into little strips. They’re going to be jerky. Unless that’s what you’re going for. Put it all in the oven, but use separate pans and the timing method above. Your kids might actually eat their veggies and you’ll be happier with the results (even if you have to wash 2 pans).
I also detest deep-fried Brussels sprouts. Some chef (lazier than me, evidently) decided that burned-to-bitter on the outside and hard-crunchy on the inside was somehow palatable? I refuse. Could be the reason Brussels get a bad rap. Instead, try my recipe with the fig vinaigrette. Life changing if I do say so myself. And I’m never going back to non-stick. The chemical in the coating reacts to the food, keeping it from sticking. But it also leeches into your food, so you’re eating the chemicals. Your body doesn’t know what to do with it, and believe it or not, there are low levels of it in just about everyone’s blood worldwide, so says the American Cancer Society. I’ll decide what goes into my food, Thank you very much!
Let me know if you give these tips a try. As with anything, a little planning goes a long way. We don’t know what the holidays will bring this year, but having your Mise en Place ready will make life in the kitchen a pleasure. And home cooking these days is very “in”.
