Mise-en-place in the kitchen

1. Introduction

The concept of “mise-en-place” ensures that operations take place as efficiently as possible in the kitchen. Mise-en-place, which is French for “set in place”, is the practice of good organisation – ensuring that all equipment and ingredients needed to make a meal are sourced and organised before preparing and cooking the food.

By being organised, mistakes in cooking can be avoided – this not only saves time, but also minimises the amount of food waste.

2. Mise-en-place Rules

• -          start the mise-en-place process well in advance of preparing and cooking the food 
• -          clean all work surfaces thoroughly before collecting anything
• -          collect all necessary kitchen tools and lay them out in an orderly fashion
• -          ensure that all equipment is ready to use (e.g. calibrate scales, sharpen knives, grease baking trays, set the oven to the required temperature, etc)
• -          collect all ingredients and measure out the necessary amount using the appropriate tools
• make sure that any preparation of food is also done during this time (e.g. marinating of meat, boiling of water, etc)

3. Measuring Ingredients

The process of accurately determining the quantity of each ingredient used in a recipe. This ensures consistency, correct taste, proper texture, and successful results when cooking or baking. Ingredients can be measured by weight (using a scale), volume (using measuring cups or spoons), or count (such as number of eggs).

3.1. Converting spoons and cups

3 tsp = 1 tbsp = 15ml

4 tbsp = 1/4 cup = 60ml

5 tbsp + 1 tsp = 1/3 cup = 80ml

8 tbsp = 1/2 cup = 125ml

10 tbsp + 2 tsp = 2/3 cup = 160ml

12 tbsp = 3/4 cup = 180ml

16 tbsp = 1 cup = 250ml

32 tbsp = 2 cups = 500ml

64 tbsp = 4 cups = 1litre

4. Glossary