Jersey Fresh Tip #8

MIS EN PLACE

Huh? What's that? "Mis en place,' pronounced "meez ahn plahss" in French means "set in place." What does that have to do with cooking? EVERYTHING!
The best way to prepare yourself to cook is to get everything that you need ready to go before you even turn on the stove or oven. That means, chop ALL your veggies, gather ALL your herbs/spices, set out ALL the pot/pans you will need, measure out ALL your ingredients...you get the idea. Often recipes will include a "prep time," which is the amount of time you spend prepping the food. Once you have your "mis en place" you are ready to start cooking. You will find that it's much easier to cook when everything is laid out already, rather than trying to scramble for an ingredient with pots bubbling over, and things burning in the oven.

Which brings me to my next point, which I have said before - READ YOUR RECIPE ALL THE WAY THROUGH! As a matter of fact, read it twice! This will ensure that you know exactly what you need for your "mis en place" and you will know all the steps in the recipe. Believe me, skipping over steps in recipes can be disastrous!

So, to recap:
1.) Read your recipe all the way through (twice, if not more)
2.) Mis en Place, everything you need for the recipe.
3.) Start cooking!