One of the most common recipes I make is scrambled eggs. It’s a four-to-five times a week kind of dish, and I don’t treat making them like a chore. I’m confident saying I make good eggs—the kind that people that don’t like eggs… actually like.

Anyway, I made some eggs for yesterday’s breakfast and totally ruined them. Instead of silky, fluffy pillows of protein, they were a pile of rubbery, white and yellow splotches, speckled all over with brown where I’d burned them. Even worse, the pan was crusted over with burned egg (usually it’s squeaky clean and just needs a wipedown), and my kitchen was full of smoke from burned pork lard.

So what happened?

Simple, I was running late, so in order to “save time” (which didn’t work), I skipped a step and failed to get my mise en place. If you’ve never heard that term before, I’m about to change your life.

What is Mise en Place?

Mise en place is French for "everything in its place.” It’s the fancy way of saying, "Don’t be a hot mess." Basically, it’s the process of getting all your ingredients and tools prepped and ready before you turn on your stove.

As a quick preview, mise en place is about chopping, measuring, organizing, and arranging everything beforehand so you’re not scrambling to find a whisk while your sauce burns.

Imagine you're halfway through a stir-fry and you suddenly realize your garlic isn't minced yet. While you're fumbling with the garlic, your veggies overcook, and voilà, your dish is ruined. Having everything ready means you're not caught off guard by missing or unprepared ingredients.

Mise en place saves time, prevents you from ruining meals, and stops the frantic "where’s the garlic?!" moments. It helps you stay organized, reduces stress, and keeps you from accidentally dumping salt instead of sugar into your masterpiece. It makes you look like you know what you're doing when you cook, and sometimes that’s half the battle.

A lot of people are tempted to skip getting the mise en place because they “know their kitchen,” so they think they know where all their tools and ingredients are and they can just dance around, popping spices out of cabinets and leaning over to grab a spatula right when they need it. Except if we’re being honest with ourselves, cooking rarely ever works that way. Plus, even if your kitchen is perfectly organized, you don’t want to waste time chopping onions and carrots while your garlic and butter burn on the stove.

Okay, so how do I do mise en place?

First things first, read your recipe carefully. If you’re not using a recipe, think thoroughly about what you’ll cook and how. As you read your recipe, make a checklist of two things: the tools you’ll use and the ingredients you’ll need. Then do your mise en place with your tools and your ingredients.

Mise en Place with Kitchen Tools

1. Gather all the tools you’ll need. Check the recipe for what’s required: pans, knives, spatulas, measuring cups, etc.


2. Have them out and ready. Place them where they’ll be easy to reach. No rooting through drawers while things are on the stove.


3. Clean as you go with tools. If you need to use the same tool for different tasks (like a knife), have a clean one ready to avoid cross-contamination or flavors mixing where they shouldn’t.

Mise en Place with Ingredients

1. Read your recipe fully before you even start. Mentally walk through it.


2. Measure out everything. Portion your spices, sauces, oils, and liquids into little containers or bowls.


3. Prep the ingredients: Cut, chop, slice, mince—do whatever needs to be done. Group ingredients together if they’re going into the pan at the same time.


4. Organize the prep station: Lay your prepped ingredients in the order you’ll use them, so you’re not backtracking.

That seems like a lot of effort. But I’m a kitchen genius and I can just wing it

You know what? You’re probably right. You can go your whole life without doing mise en place, and you’ll generally make edible food. You’ll consistently overcook your chicken breast, garlic, and zucchini, you’ll constantly undersalt or oversalt your food, and you’ll never get consistent results. Plus, you’ll frequently get burned out on cooking, dread the mess, and eat out instead. But hey, you’ll get used to it.

Or…

You’re part of the Cook’n family. Something tells me you’re not satisfied with mediocrity. You’re not going to get stuck chopping onions while the rest of your stir fry overcooks on the stove.

And let’s be honest here, I’m not saying you have to be picture perfect Gordon Ramsey here. If you find yourself prepping an insane amount of things that could easily be done while another task is cooking, you might be overdoing it. For example, if you're marinating something that needs time to sit, don't prep every single thing an hour before you start cooking the first component—space it out. But overall, being well-prepared rarely backfires.

Are there any mistakes I should avoid with mise en place?

What a great question; I’m glad you asked! Yes, I’ve compiled a list of 10 things that can go wrong with mise en place. Scan through them now so you don’t have to learn them the hard way later.

If you find yourself prepping an insane amount of things that could easily be done while another task is cooking, you might be overdoing it. For example, if you're marinating something that needs time to sit, don't prep every single thing an hour before you start cooking the first component—space it out. But overall, being well-prepared rarely backfires.

Prepping Ingredients Out of Order
This one’s sneaky. You start chopping herbs before dicing raw chicken, and now you’ve got to disinfect your entire station before moving on. Pro tip: Handle raw proteins last to avoid unnecessary cleaning mid-prep. It’s also a time-saver and avoids cross-contamination.

Ignoring Recipe Timing
Some ingredients—like a pre-cut apple—will turn into a sad, brown mush if you prep them too early. Plan according to the timing: things that oxidize or wilt (like apples, avocados, or herbs) should be prepped last.

Not Measuring Beforehand
This applies more with baking or with recipes where consistent results are really important. However, thinking you’ll eyeball your spices or liquids is a great way to end up with oversalted soup or an under-seasoned sauce. Pre-measuring ensures precision and prevents panic adjustments. Dumping a handful of salt in by accident is the difference between “flavorful” and “inedible.”

Not Organizing Ingredients by Usage
Just because everything’s chopped and measured doesn’t mean it’s organized. If you’re throwing ingredients into the pan in stages, they should be lined up in the order they’re needed. You don’t want to grab garlic for step 3 and realize you’ve already tossed it in by mistake at step 1.

Forgetting Garnishes or Final Touches
Garnishes like herbs, lemon zest, or sauce drizzles are often an afterthought. You think you’ll just chop them at the end, but then the food’s getting cold, and you’re scrambling to make it look Instagram-worthy. Prep those garnishes ahead of time, too.

Over-Prepping Ingredients
You’re not running a restaurant kitchen, so maybe don’t chop every veggie in your fridge. It leads to food waste and unnecessary prep. Mise en place should serve the recipe, not just be a reason to play with your knives for 30 minutes.

Using Too Many Containers
Every little ingredient in its own bowl looks Instagram perfect, but you’re cooking for you, not for your 200 followers. Let’s not end up with a mountain of dishes to wash. Group ingredients that go in the pan together. For example, carrots, celery and onions can share a bowl if they’re getting sautéed at the same time.

Leaving Tools Scattered
You’ve got all your ingredients lined up, but where’s your spatula? Why are your measuring spoons across the counter? Not having your tools at hand when you need them can throw off your whole rhythm. Keep them close, and put them back where you can grab them again.

Prepping Too Early
There’s a fine line between being ready and being too ready. Prepping way in advance—like hours or a day before—can lead to dry, wilted, or even spoiled ingredients, especially for fresh vegetables, fruits, or delicate herbs.

Not Cleaning as You Go
Your mise en place station should be clean and organized throughout the process. If you leave a mess behind after each ingredient, you'll end up working in clutter, which can slow you down and lead to mistakes. Clean as you go to stay efficient and stress-free.

Avoid these common mistakes, and you'll feel like the culinary wizard you were meant to be, making everything look effortless and smooth—even when it's not!

And as for those scrambled eggs I mentioned at the beginning of this article? Well if I’d done my mise en place, I would have cracked and scrambled my eggs in a glass bowl and put some salt on the countertop (I keep some coarse salt in an open bowl so I can pinch some whenever I need). Then I would have melted my lard in the pan and dumped the eggs in right away. At that point they would have started to crackle and sing, and I would have gotten right to stirring.

Instead, I thought I would “save time,” so I turned the heat on right away, threw in my lard, and then cracked my eggs right into the hot pan and tried to whisk them as they cooked. It didn’t save time, and it didn’t taste good when I was done.

Just do your mise en place.