[quote type=”center”] How a one hour investment of your time on the weekend can transform your week night meals.[/quote]
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6 easy ways to use the magic of ‘mise en place’ in your kitchen
Ever eaten at a restaurant with an exposed kitchen so you could watch the chefs at work? And ever noticed all the little containers and bottles of sauces they have at their work stations?
What is Mise en place?
Mise en place is a French term that I roughly translate as ‘put in place’. In cooking it’s used to describe the practice of chefs preparing food up to a point where it is ready to be used in a dish during food service.
It may be as simple as washing and picking herbs into individual leaves or chopping vegetables. Or more complicated like caramelising onions or slow cooking meats.
The main benefit in a restaurant is that it makes it much quicker and easier to get food on the table after the customer has ordered.
The secondary benefit is that the preparation can help to extend the shelf life of fresh produce.
How can we home cooks use this chef secret to our advantage?
1. Prep when we have time to save time later
By taking the time on weekends to do a little ‘mise en place’ preparation, we can make it much quicker and easier to get dinner on the table when we come home from work late and everyone is hungry.
2. Prolong the shelf life of our produce
Cooked ingredients tend to last longer than fresh. This is because cooking reduces the amount of bacteria in the food AND cooking destroys enzymes which can also cause spoilage. So employing a little ‘mise en place’ not only saves time, it can also reduce waste.
For example, a slow cooked meat dish will last for a few weeks in the fridge, where as fresh meat can only be a few days. Same goes for wilted spinach vs a bunch of spinach.
6 quick ways of using ‘Mise en Place’
1. Precooking grains or legumes
Dried grains and legumes such as rice, barley, lentils, chickpeas and beans tend to take between 30-90 minutes to cook. And longer if you factor in the soaking time for beans.
Once cooked, grains and legumes will keep in the fridge for a few weeks. To keep for longer they can be frozen – a great option as they tend to keep their shape and defrost easily, like frozen peas.
2. Precooking meat or fish
Fresh fish and meat is highly perishable. Using mise en place to pre-cook dramatically increases keeping time. Poaching keeps everything moist so is an excellent method. But roasting or even pan frying can also be employed.
3. Wilting vegetables
Wilting veg prolongs their shelf life, primarily by deactivating enzymes. Consider methods such as sauteeing, steaming or even boiling briefly.
4. Roasting vegetables
Roasting veg takes at least 30 minutes, or longer for larger pieces. Having a stash of pre-roasted veg opens up a world of possibilities for quick, healthy dinners.
5. Making sauces or ‘preserves’
Sauces can transform a meal from ho-hum to amazing. The balsamic onions from this module are a great example.
We’ll cover 10 of my favourite quick sauces in Module 4 when we master the art of adaptation.
6. Fully preparing meals.
Do-ahead dinners are another easy way to harness the benefits of ‘mise en place’. More on these in Module 5.
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Your Weekend Prep Plan 1.
prep time: 60 minutes
prep recipe:
weeknight recipes:
Burgers with Balsamic Onion & Mashy Peas
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Your Weekend Prep Plan 2.
prep time: 30-35 minutes
prep recipe:
weeknight recipes:
Quick Veg Curry (replace jarred peppers with 2 handfuls roast diced veg)
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Your Weekend Prep Plan 3.
prep time: 15 minutes
prep recipe:
weeknight recipes:
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Your Weekend Prep Plan 4.
prep time: 10-15 minutes
prep recipe:
weeknight recipes:
Rice & Greens (replace the frozen spinach with your sauteed greens)
Green Lentils (replace the frozen spinach with your sauteed greens)
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Your Weekend Prep Plan 5.
prep time: 30 minutes
prep recipe:
weeknight recipes:
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Your Action Steps
1. Choose the weekend prep plan that sounds the most delicious.
2. Schedule some time this weekend (or week) to make your ‘prep’ recipe.
3. Use your mise en place for quick dinners this week.
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