Occupation and Kitchen Mise en Place
Senior 1 · Home Science
Occupation and Kitchen Mise en Place
Lesson 5 of 5
20 min
Let's begin
The onions are burning, but the tomatoes are not yet chopped; the rice is boiling over while you search for the salt; the guests arrive and the table is not laid. Most kitchen disasters are not caused by bad cooking but by poor organisation. Professional cooks prevent them with one habit, which they call mise en place.
Mise en place (say "meez-on-plass") is French for "putting in place". It means getting everything ready (ingredients weighed, washed and cut; tools and equipment gathered; the work planned) before cooking starts. In this lesson you will learn the steps of mise en place, why it matters, and how to write a time plan.
In a restaurant, each section chef does a mise en place before service: sauces made, vegetables cut, garnishes ready, plates warm. The word is used in three ways: for the prepared items themselves ("check your mise en place"), for the act of preparing, and for an organised way of thinking.
A time plan (work plan) lists every task with its start time, in order. To write one, start from the serving time and work backwards, subtracting the time each dish needs. Put the longest jobs first, fit short jobs into waiting times, and prepare cold dishes last so they stay fresh.
Task: Lunch must be served at 12:30. The menu is: bean stew (the beans have been soaked overnight and need about 60 minutes of boiling, then 20 minutes of stewing with vegetables); rice (about 20 minutes to cook and 5 minutes to rest); cabbage and carrot salad (15 minutes to cut and dress). Write a time plan starting at 10:30.
Working backwards: the stew must finish by about 12:05, so it starts at 11:45, so the beans must be boiling by 10:45. Rice must be ready by 12:25, so it goes on at 12:00. The salad is made last, finishing at 12:15.
| Time | Task |
|---|---|
| 10:30 | Wash hands, apron on, read recipes; gather equipment; weigh and measure all ingredients |
| 10:45 | Put the soaked beans on to boil (60 minutes) |
| 10:50 | Wash, peel and cut onions, tomatoes and carrots for the stew; wash the rice; wash the cabbage and salad carrots (do not cut yet) |
| 11:25 | Clean as you go: wash boards and knives; wipe surfaces |
| 11:45 | Drain the beans; make the stew with the vegetables; simmer 20 minutes |
| 12:00 | Put the rice on (20 minutes, then rest 5 minutes) |
| 12:00 | Cut the cabbage (chiffonade) and carrots (julienne); dress, cover and keep cool |
| 12:05 | Stew ready: keep it hot, covered |
| 12:15 | Lay the table; warm the serving dishes |
| 12:25 | Dish up |
| 12:30 | Serve; then wash up and clean the kitchen |
Check: beans 10:45 + 60 min = 11:45; stew 11:45 + 20 min = 12:05; rice 12:00 + 25 min = 12:25; all ready by 12:30.
Tip
Memory hook: "Read, Plan, Gather, Measure, Prepare, Arrange, Clean as you go."
Exam technique: in a time-plan question, write the serving time at the bottom first and work upwards. Show at least one "check" line adding the cooking times.
What does "mise en place" mean?
Solution: "Putting in place": getting all ingredients, tools and equipment ready, and the work planned, before cooking starts.
Give three advantages of mise en place.
Solution: Any three of: saves time; prevents mistakes; safer and more hygienic; better, more even results; less waste; supports teamwork and serving on time.
Why is a salad usually prepared near the end of a time plan?
Solution: So it stays fresh and crisp, loses fewer vitamins from cut surfaces, and spends less time at room temperature.
A cake needs 40 minutes in the oven and 15 minutes to cool before it is decorated. Decorating takes 10 minutes and it must be ready at 15:00. By what time must it go into the oven?
Solution: Total = 40 + 15 + 10 = 65 minutes. 15:00 − 65 minutes = 13:55.
Summary
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
