1. Chapter 7
Mise en Place

2. Mise en Place
The French term, mise en place literally means “to put in place” or “everything in its place”
In culinary context, it refers to elementary preparation steps of food preparation.
This means gathering and prepping the ingredients to be cooked and assembling the tools and equipment necessary to cook them.

3. Mise en Place
A simple but extremely important concept: A chef should have everything he or she needs to prepare and serve in an organized and efficient manner at the beginning of the process or meal period
ginning

4. Planning and Organizing Production
Selecting Tools and Equipment
All equipment should be clean and sanitary
Knives should be sharpened
Measuring devices checked for safety
Assembling ingredients
Wash, trim, cut, and prepare raw materials
Ovens and cooking surfaces preheated, if necessary

5. The Solution Break each menu item down into stages of production
Determine which stages may be done in advance
Determine which way to hold each item after pre-preparation
Determine how long it takes to prepare each stage of the recipe
Check recipe to see if there is a more efficient way to prepare the item

6. Adapting Preparation to Style of Service
Mise en Place depends in large part on the style of meal service.
1. Do the customers come at one time?
School , industry, and banquets
If so then you have to watch quality to avoid deterioration
Could there be leftovers - plan for utilization
2. Do customer come over an extended time period?
Restaurants, short-order counters
3. Extended meal service

7. Preparing Ingredients
Some ingredients that are used frequently should be stored throughout the kitchen and accessible to everyone, when needed.
Consider these tasks as part of Mise en Place:
Clarifying butter
Toasting nuts and spices
Making bread crumbs
Bouquet garni and sachet bag
Marinades
Rubs and Pastes
Blanching foods

8. Using the Knife Knife Safety – Extremely important
Use the correct knife for the appropriate task
Always cut away from yourself
Always use a cutting board. Do not cut on glass, marble, or metal
Keep your knives sharp
Always carry a knife with the point down
Never try to catch a falling knife
Never leave a knife in a sink

9. Knife Sharpening Gripping Your knife:
A whetstone is used to keep put a an edge on a knife.
The knife is held at a 20-degree angle on the whetstone
A steel does not sharpen a knife, it is used to keep the edge sharp on a knife
Gripping Your knife:
Make sure your grip is comfortable, remember you have to use a knife extensively, so a firm, comfortable grip is essential

10. Basic Cuts and Shapes Chiffonade Rondelles or rounds Paysanne
finely sliced or shredded
Rondelles or rounds
Disk-shaped slices
Paysanne
1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1/8 inch

11. Basic Cuts and Shapes (cont’d)
Fine Julienne
1/16 inch x 1/16 inch x 2 inches
Julienne
1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 2 inches
Batonnet
1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 2 1/2 - 3 inches

12. Basic Cuts and Shapes (cont’d)
Fine Brunoise
1/16 inch x 1/16 inch x 1/16 inch
Brunoise
1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch
Small dice
1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch
Medium dice
1/2 inch x 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch
Large dice
3/4 inch x 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch

13. Basic Cuts and Shapes (cont’d)
Tourner- In French, it means “to turn”, a cutting technique that produces a 2-inch long x ¾ inch diameter long football shape with 7 equal sides
Parisiennes - With a melon ball cutter that allows you to cut fruits or vegetable in uniform spheres or balls
A Mandoline - A mechanical cutting tool

14. The Skill of the Knife
Although many slicing and dicing machines are available, none can match the skill of a chef with a sharp knife.
Possessing good knife skills is an essential part of becoming a chef.

15. Preliminary Cooking and Flavoring
Blanching
To increase holding qualities
To save time
To remove undesired flavors
To enable the product to be processed further
Marinating
Flavor the product
Tenderize the product
Control bacteria growth

16. Marinades have three categories of ingredients
Oil
Acid from vinegar, lemon juice, wine
Flavoring - spices, herbs, vegetables

17. Kinds of Marinades
Cooked
Raw
Instant
Dry

18. Preparation for Frying
Breading
The standard
Flour
Egg wash
Crumbs
Standard breading procedure
Bread
Crumbs
Finished
Breaded
Product
Flour
Egg wash
Product to be breaded

19. Handling Convenience Foods
Any product that has been partially or fully prepared by the manufacturer
Remember convenience foods are not a substitute for well prepared foods
They provide a way to extend menu offerings with out increasing labor
You should make sure they are the quality you want for your customer base.

20. Guidelines for Handling Convenience Foods
Handle the same way you would fresh, raw ingredients
Examine as soon as received
Store properly
Know the shelf life of the product
Defrost the foods properly
Know how and to what extent the product has been prepared
Use proper cooking methods
Treat the foods as though you did the preparation