09. Francisco, Marcus John M.

- 10G
CULINARY ARTS
Mr. Randolph L. Nicdao

Activity 2.1: Mise en Place & Mirepoix

M i s e e n P l a c e
which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place".
It refers to the setup required before cooking, and is often
used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and
arranging the ingredients (examples: cuts
of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices,
freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a
cook will require for the menu items that are expected to
be prepared during a shift. Mise en Place is practiced in all
restaurants and in most home kitchens.

Photo 1: Mise en Place in a

Professional kitchen

A mirepoix (/mɪərˈpwɑː/ meer-PWAH; French: [miʁ.pwa]) is a
flavor base made from diced vegetables cooked—usually
with butter, oil, or other fat—for a long time on low heat
without coloring or browning, as further cooking, often
with the addition of tomato purée, creates a darkened
brown mixture called pinçage. It is not sautéed or
otherwise hard cooked, because the intention is to
sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelize them. It is
a long-standing cooking technique in French cuisine.
Mirepoix is used in most stews, and for a wide variety of
Western dishes. Mirepoix commonly consists of carrots,
onion and celery.

Photo 2: The contents of mirepoix; uncooked