First of all, what is “Mise en Place?” It’s a French term; its literal translation is “put in place,” and that’s exactly what mise en place is about. Mise en place is the cooking and baking method of gathering all of your ingredients, cookware, bakeware, and tools prior to starting your recipe. Ingredients are measured and arranged in the order the recipe outlines, along with gathering and arranging the measuring spoons and cups the recipe calls for.

Does this sound like a waste of time and effort? Why not simply grab what you need as you go? Why bother dirtying extra bowls and dishes -- won’t that create more work instead of lightening your load? The short answer is that this cooking and baking approach makes kitchen work even better—it’s a brilliant way to minimize the potential chaos food prep can create.

Let me elaborate with 3 rock-solid reasons why mise en place is a smart strategy—why throughout history all professional cooks have followed this path.

YOU COOK or BAKE FASTER! While it sounds counterintuitive, taking the time upfront to assemble tools and prep ingredients is about “slowing down to speed up.” Having everything ready in advance ensures your process is more organized and efficient, which saves you time in the end.

Mise en place changes the way you look at cooking and baking, making it less frenetic, more patient, and more methodical. Because your aromatics are already chopped and diced, your herbs and spices are already measured, and your liquids are already set aside, you can focus on combining ingredients and giving them appropriate attention as they cook. You won’t be distracted by these tasks, because you’ve already completed them. In short, mise en place helps you devote attention where it’s most needed while you’re cooking or baking.

YOU WORK “CLEAN!” Again, it sounds counterintuitive to dirty an assortment of bowls and dishes in order to keep a cleaner kitchen, but it works. When you prep and portion ingredients in advance, without the pressure of needing to get those onions into the pan now, you have the freedom to move at your own pace. This means your measurements are more accurate, and your ingredients end up in the bowls, dishes, and pans, rather than on the counter or the floor. You may have more dishes to wash, but you spend less time cleaning up unnecessary spills and messes.

And working clean is crucial to keeping a sanitary kitchen. Mise en place helps minimize the risk of foodborne illness by keeping surfaces clean. And because it saves you time during the cooking process, you have more opportunities to clean as you go.

YOU EXPERIENCE SUCCESS! The third reason to try mise en place might be the best reason of all. It will make you a better cook. This approach requires you to read and understand the recipe fully before beginning. This approach ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand before you start a recipe. Recipes taste better when made with all ingredients called for, without trying to omit or substitute. Even if you have the best intentions, without mise en place you’re more likely to forget an ingredient or add it twice. And it keeps the assembly of ingredients flowing smoothly.

Also, assembling and prepping ingredients in advance means they’re more likely to be at room temperature when you start to cook or bake. Having ingredients at room temperature helps batters and doughs blend beautifully, whereas cold ingredients do the opposite (turning your batter into a curdled lumpy mess).

Truly, the mise en place method isn’t just another way to use more dishes. It’s an organized, efficient, and professional way to make your kitchen work even more fun. It’s one of the BEST cooking and baking habits EVER! And because it saves time and energy, you’ll have more time and energy to do even MORE cooking and baking. YAY!

    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com