Mise en place will make you love cooking

Before I found I loved cooking, I was intimidated by dishes with more than a few steps. Balancing all the cuts, temperatures and techniques may as well have been rocket science. I’m sure that is why a lot of people stick with the same ‘ol same ‘ol meals (looking at you taco casserole), or why haters HATE hard on plant-based cooking because it “has so many steps” or “needs everything made from scratch.” But things that are hard are worth working for. True for food, nutrition and many other things. We have to love ourselves enough to prepare our food with care and mindfulness.

When I am trying a new recipe, I have found that preparing all the materials and ingredients beforehand can make the experience less intimidating, allow me to be more interactive with guests if I have them, help me get more creative as I go, and ultimately just make cooking more enjoyable. Plus, chopping and organization can be really meditative. Also, since I started culinary training I’ve learned how precise knife cuts can really improve a dish and by doing them without the pressure of needing to get them into a pot ASAP, you can focus on that.

Turns out, there’s a word for this that’s used throughout the restaurant industry and should be embraced by the home cook. Mise en place (MEES EHN PLAS). Everything in its place. Some cute little bowls to put stuff in encourages the behavior. I like these, but you can also hit up a Home Goods (my favey) and find some for cheap: https://amzn.to/2Lr3ok3