INTRODUCTION TO MISE EN PLACE

Terminology
Mise en place (pronounced meez ahn plahs) The term used in professional
kitchens to describe the organizing and arranging of the work space, ingredients and
equipment before beginning to cook. It translates directly from French as, ”to put in
place".
Why Practice Effective Mise en Place?
Saves time by having everything ready to combine. • Eliminates the chance of culinary
disasters that occur from lack of preparation • Save space on counters.

Importance of Mise en place

Mise en place is easy! And being organized and prepared in the kitchen saves time
and frustration. • Trying to multi-task between ingredient preparation and cooking could
be (pardon the pun) a recipe for disaster.
How to Practice Mise en place
Step 1
Read the entire recipe. What do you need to make this product?
Step 2
Prepare your work space.
 Prepare sanitation bucket.
 Prepare wash stations.
 Sanitize counters and work stations.
 Locate trash receptacles for waste food waste/scraping (no disposals in house!).
 Clear counters of unnecessary items.
Step 3
Prepare the equipment.
 Check that all equipment is clean before food preparation
 Preheat ovens, prepare pans, set out small utensils, and other necessary equipment.
Step 4
Gather ingredients
 Pre-measure all ingredients into prep cups and bowls.
Step 5
Prepare ingredients and place in bowls. This may include washing, knife work, etc.
before putting into prep cups and bowls.
Step 6
 Clean as you go to help with time management!
Activity
1. Cut and paste an example of (picture) effective Mise en place at home.
2. Why is Mise en Place an important skill to learn and practice? Summarize your
answer in 12 words or less. Be prepared to share.

Appetizer
Introduction to Appetizers Appetizers are finger foods usually served prior to a meal, or
in between mealtimes, and are also called hors d’oeuvres, antipasti, or starters, and
may range from the very simple to the very complex, depending on the occasion and
the time devoted to making them. They’re a common accompaniment to aperitifs,
cocktails served prior to a meal. At dinners, banquets and the like, appetizers may be
served prior to a meal. This is especially common at weddings when it takes time for the
wedding party and guests to get to a reception after the marriage has taken place.
Appetizers may be served at long parties that occur after a regular mealtime. A mid-
afternoon party where there is no intent to serve dinner, or an evening party that occurs
after dinner may feature appetizers so that guests can have the opportunity to snack. .
Many restaurants feature a range of appetizers that are ordered just prior to a meal as a
first course. Characteristics of Appetizers Appetizers should be big on flavour, small on
size and price.
Classification of Appetizers
Cocktails
Hors d’ oeuvres
Canape
Relishes/Crudite
Salads (Petite Salad)
Chips & DIps
Fresh Fruits and vegetables
Finger foods
Cocktails Consist of several bite-size pieces of fish, shellfish, drinks and fruits served
with tangy flavoured sauce. They must be fresh in appearance and arranged attractively
to have an eye appeal. Various cocktails are-Juices of orange, pineapple, grapefruit or
tomato served with cold salad dressings.
Hors d’ oeuvres
Hors d’ oeuvres are small portions of highly seasoned foods formerly used to precede a
meal served either hot or cold. Simplicity should be the main creitoria for making the
hors d oeuvres Although most hors d oeuvres are served cold,there are also hot ones.
Canape
Canape is a bite-sized or two bite-sized finger food consisting of three parts: a base, a
spread or topping and garnish or garniture. They are savoury titbits of food. They could
be served hot or cold. The items should be dainty, petite, fresh, having an eye appeal
and colour contrasts. There are no set recipes for the making canapes. Individual or a
combination of several different coloured items are used on the small fancifully cut
pieces of bread, toasted or fried, and biscuits etc. The larger canapes are termed as
ZAKUSKIS after the Chef Zakuski.

What are the three basic parts of Canapés?

Canapés consist of three parts the base, spread/toppings and garnish.  

 The Base holds the spread and garnish. Like biscuit, bread, toast or puff pastry
as the base of the canapes. The biscuit, bread or crackers are firmer and give a
pleasing texture and crispness to the canapés.

 The Spread/Toppings is placed on top of the base so the garnish sticks to it

without falling. Spreads/toppings are added to food to enhance the flavor or
texture of the food.

 The Garnish is a combination of items on top of the spread which usually gives
color, design and texture or flavor accent.

Relishes/Crudite
Relishes/Crudite are pickled items and raw, crisp vegetables such as julienned carrots
or celery sticks. relishes are generally placed before the guest in a slightly, deep, boat
shape dish.
Salads
Petite Salads- they are of small portions and they are usually displaying the
characteristics found in the most salad. Salads are of two types:
- Plain salads
: Cucumber salad
Finger Foods
Finger foods are usually defined as individual portions of food that are small enough to
consume without the aid of silverware. The ideal finger food usually does not create any
mess (ie. no crumbs, drips, or any kind of mess), but this criterion is often overlooked in
order to include foods like tacos.
 examples of generally accepted finger food are miniature meat pies, sausage rolls,
cheese and olives, chicken drumsticks or wings, spring rolls,
miniature quiches, samosas, and sandwiches.