Mise en place
A fancy French term that the Culinary Institute of America defines as everything in place. Essentially, it is a chef’s way of knowing he has his shit together for a service. All of the items and food stuffs he or she might need during a lunch or dinner service is prepared and close at hand in an organized and familiar fashion so it is all where it is expected to be.
To some home cooks, like Sandy, this means getting absolutely everything you need out of the cupboard beforehand and then working around it while preparing a dish. Me? The kitchen counter is one of the few places I seem to be capable of being organized. I like everything I need properly prepped before I begin cooking so I’m not dicing and slicing and pushing stuff around while I’m cooking.
Of course that organization only goes so far. Tonight we are making a somewhat modified version of Noodles with Spicy Ground Pork from Tastes of Home. The store only had 2 small packages of udon noodles, so we decided to use miki noodles instead. We were going to add in some baby bok choy, but we forgot to buy it. One of the kids isn’t so fond of super spicy, so I was going to use the chili sauce we had in the fridge instead of chili peppers. Had being the key word. No problem, some chili & garlic sauce will do nicely instead.
Having your meez in order is important, but so is being flexible enough to try new things and roll with the punches. After a few tries, that flexibility will become confidence. Confidence to trust your instincts and just let the flavors flow. Once you get to that point, the world is your stir fry!
