Chapter 7 Mise En Place Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Cooks must have a talent for organization and efficiency. Many tasks must be completed over a given time and by a limited number of workers. All must come together at one crucial point: service time. 2 Mise En Place

Chefs take pride in the thoroughness and quality of their advance preparation or Mise en Place. Mise en Place : French term, meaning “everything put in place.” 3 Mise En Place

Pre-preparation is necessary! You must: Assemble your tools Assemble your ingredients Wash, trim, cut, prepare, and measure your raw materials Prepare your equipment 4 Planning & Organizing Production Pre-Preparation

The Chef must plan pre-preparation carefully. Break down each menu item into its stages of production. Determine which stages may be done in advance. Determine the best way to hold each item at its final stage of pre-preparation. 5 Planning & Organizing Production Pre-Preparation

(… cont’d) Determine how long it takes to prepare each stage of each recipe. Plan a production schedule beginning with the preparations that take the longest. Examine recipes to see if they might be revised for better efficiency and quality as served. 6 Planning & Organizing Production Pre-Preparation

The Goal The goal of pre-preparation is to do as much work in advance as possible without loss of quality. Quality should always take highest priority. 7 Planning & Organizing Production Pre-Preparation

A large part of a cook’s workday is spent doing mise en place. A large part of learning how to cook is learning how to do mise en place. 8 Planning & Organizing Production Mise En Place: The Required Tasks

Figure 5.2 The parts of a chef’s knife.

Using the Knife Safely Use the correct knife for the task at hand Always cut away from yourself Always cut on a clean cutting board –Do not cut on glass, marble or metal Place a damp towel underneath the cutting board to keep it from sliding as you cut

Using a Knife Safely (cont.) Keep knives sharp; a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one When carrying a knife, hold it pointed down, parallel and close to your leg as you walk A falling knife has no handle. Do not attempt to catch a falling knife; step back and allow it to fall Never leave a knife in a sink of water; anyone reaching into the sink could be injured or the knife could be dented by pots or other utensils

Follow these guidelines: 1.Hold the blade at a constant 20-degree angle to the stone. 2.Make light, even strokes, the same number on each side of the blade. 12 Using the Knife The Sharpening Stone

3.Sharpen in one direction only to get a regular, uniform edge. 4.Do not over-sharpen. 5.Finish with a few strokes on the steel (see next slide), and then wipe the blade clean. 13 Using the Knife The Sharpening Stone

Follow these guidelines: 1.Hold the blade at a constant 20-degree angle to the steel, just as when using the stone. A smaller angle will be ineffective. A larger one will dull the edge 2.Make light strokes; do not grind the knife against the steel. 14 Using the Knife The Steel

3.Make even, regular strokes. Alternate each stroke, first on one side of the blade, then on the other 4.Use no more than five or six strokes on each side of the blade; too much steeling can actually dull the blade. 5.Use the steel often; then, you will rarely have to sharpen the knife on the stone. 15 Using the Knife The Steel

A proper grip Gives you maximum control over the knife. Increases your cutting accuracy and speed. Prevents slipping. Lessens the chance of an accident. 16 Using the Knife The Grip

The type of grip you use depends, in part, on the job you are doing and the size of the knife. Many Chefs fell that grasping the blade with the thumb and forefinger gives the greatest control. 17 Using the Knife The Grip

Proper positioning of the hand achieves three goals 1.Hold the item being cut. 2.Guide the knife. 3.Protect the hand from cuts. 18 Using the Knife The Guiding Hand

Chopping To chop is to cut an item into small pieces where uniformity of size and shape is neither necessary or feasible

Mincing To mince is to cut items into very small pieces The terms finely chopped and minced are often used interchangeably

Cutting food products into uniform shapes and sizes is important for two reasons: 1. It ensures even cooking. 2. It enhances the appearance of the product. 21 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts

Chop: to cut into irregularly shaped pieces Concasser : to chop coarsely Mince: to chop into very fine pieces Emincer : to cut into very thin slices (does not mean “to mince”) Shred: to cut into thin strips 22 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts

Cutting Sticks Batonnet –1/4 X 1/4 X 2 inches Julienne –1/8 X 1/8 X 2 inches Fine julienne –1/16 X 1/16 X 2 inches

Dice Cuts Brunoise –1/8 X 1/8 X 1/8 Small dice –1/4 X 1/4 X 1/4 Medium dice –1/2 X 1/2 X 1/2 Large dice –3/4 X 3/4 X 3/4 Paysanne –1/2 X 1/2 X 1/8

Cutting Brunoise and Small, Medium, and Large Dice Bâtonnet and julienne sticks and the large, medium, small and brunoise dices cut from them.

Using the Knife 26 The Basic Cuts

Slicing When food items are cut into round slices as shown, the cut is called rondelle. 27 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts

Bâtonnet 28 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts Dice

Julienne 29 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts Tourné

Paysanne 30 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts Lozenges

Fermiére 31 Using the Knife The Basic Cuts Oblique