Mise en Place

If you've never worked in the restaurant industry, walking into a commercial kitchen during a busy dinner rush is like hitting a wall of sensory overload . Overwhelming smells, sounds, and sights are all layered and woven together in a complex dance of motion and coded restaurant communications.

Steaming sizzles as meats and veggies hit hot oil, sauté pans slamming on metal stove grates, waitstaff buzzing in and out, dishes clattering, shouts like gunfire of "TEN TOP JUST WALKED IN!"

"HOT STUFF COMING THROUGH!!"

"SHARPS BEHIND YOU!"

"EIGHTY-SIX SPECIAL ONE, AND F*** THAT TEN TOP!!!", blend with inside jokes and friendly banter. In a restaurant kitchen, keen edged knives, flames, skin melting steam, boiling water, bubbling hot oil and frenetic human activity combine in a relatively small space with little to no bodily injury night after night.

The barely controlled Chaos behind every amazing meal you have ever eaten in a restaurant has generally been honed by the deceptively simple concept of mise en place or "everything in its place". As with any lasting discipline, the simplicity of the words belie the scope of their application.

"Everything in its place" can inform anything from organizing your spice cabinet to simplifying how you move through your life. By looking at problems through the lens preparedness first, organizing falls into place. Though I have not worked in the food industry in over 10 years, I still find evidence of the influences of mise en place in almost everything I organize.

From spice cabinet to cleaning supplies, I find myself thinking of what I will need or use the most, being most accessible. My favorite spices, pans, and knives are all closest to the front and/or bottom of the cabinets, while baking supplies tend to live in the nether regions. ( I love cooking, loathe baking.) My favorite cleaners and cleaning tools are near the front, while things like brass polish get pushed to the back.

I tend to put things back exactly where I retrieved them from and will go behind and rearrange after a guest has kindly tried to help put away dishes after dinner. Knowing where things are located, without having to think about where I put them, frees up my brain for contemplating more enjoyable things raindrops on pine needles or the meaning of bee dances.

Mise en place isn't just about prepping vegetables or putting things away. It is about going from concept to product, maximizing efficiency, to produce the best possible outcome.

First, there is taking account what has or hasn't worked in the past, brainstorming, and making lists. Whatever your project is, recognizing what was or wasn't successful in the past likely will apply to any similar project you undertake. Whether you are an executive chef planning a menu or a student trying to clean your apartment before your parents arrive, lists are ALWAYS helpful.

List what you want to accomplish, then what supplies you might need. Often, just the act of writing a list can cause you to start organizing and your priorities. You may want to organize your sock drawer, but maybe it is more important to scrub the kitchen floor before your Mom shows up? She may be less likely to check your dresser drawers than comment on a dirty floor. Time is a resource, so making decisions about the best way to use your time to meet your goals can start with a list. (Plus, crossing things off a list is deeply satisfying.)

Getting your supplies together helps everything goes more smoothly. Having to run to the store for paper towel can interrupt the flow of any project. If you don't have what you need, either change your priorities, or figure out a different way to complete your task. Do you really need to go get bleach, or can you use the white vinegar you have on hand to clean and sanitize?

Flexible thinking is a key component to preparedness and efficiency. No matter how well you prepare, life happens. If you remain too rigid in attaining your goals, you may miss opportunities for innovative new ideas. Tasked by the executive chef to make a dessert that includes cookies and ice cream one could get their mind set on chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream, only to find there are no chocolate chips in house. Flexible thinking allows ideas like snickerdoodles and pistachio ice cream drizzled with cardamom infused chocolate sauce to come forward.

Get the hardest tasks done first, whether the task is hard because you hate doing it, or just demanding in energy...do it first! Get that stuff out of the way, so you are making life your easier as you go through the day. Make yourself clean that toilet before you water the plants. Scrub the floors before you arrange the flowers in the vase. All those little things you enjoy are much more fun to do if their not weighted down with the sense of dread about things you hate doing.

"Everything in its place" is about all these concepts. Make lists, take inventory, prioritize, and be prepared to innovate when things don't go as planned. Mise en place isn't just about chopping enough veggies. It is a whole life discipline of consistently working towards preparing the small things, so the obstacles you face can be navigated with as much creativity, efficiency, and joy as can be found.