mise-en-place - prepare and stage every ingredient before applying heat

mise-en-place [--strict | --relaxed] RECIPE

mise-en-place, French for put in place, is the practice of reading the whole recipe, then measuring, chopping, and arranging everything before you turn on the stove. It is the kitchen version of checking your dependencies before you start the build.

It matters most for fast cooking: stir-fries, pan sauces, anything with a step that lasts 30 seconds. Garlic does not wait while you look for the soy sauce.

It also finds missing ingredients while you can still do something about them.

--strict

Everything measured into bowls before any heat. Use it for stir-fries and baking.

--relaxed

Chop the next thing while the current thing cooks. Fine for soups, braises, and anything that simmers for a while. Requires knowing which steps are slow.

--read-first

Read the entire recipe, including the last step, before starting. Discovering marinate overnight at step 6 is the most common failure.

/kitchen/counter

Staging area. Should be clear before starting.

/kitchen/sink

Should be empty before starting. Will not be empty after.

taste(1), clean(1), weigh(1)

Generates a large number of small bowls. See clean(1).