Mise en place is the process of organizing and preparing all the ingredients and utensils you need before you start cooking.
A common practice in the world of food, it's essential to a restaurant's professional kitchen, since it increases productivity and organization in the workplace. It also helps ensure the quality of the dishes and customer satisfaction.
In this article, understand what mise en place is, learn its benefits, and see how to implement it in your restaurant. Keep reading!
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What is mise en place?
“Mise en place” is a French term that means “to put in place” or “to set in order”.
It refers to a technique used in the culinary world to make the workflow smoother, increasing productivity in the kitchen and ensuring quality in food preparation.
To do that, the chefs organize in advance all the ingredients and utensils needed to produce the recipes. This includes washing, cutting, chopping, measuring, and arranging everything in a logical, accessible way.
That way, when service starts, the ingredients and utensils are all at hand so the chefs only have to execute the preparation of the dishes.
What's the difference between mise en place and pre-prep?
It's important to point out that mise en place is different from pre-prep, since the latter involves preparing some ingredients ahead of time. For example: marinating meats, cooking grains, or making stocks that will be used later.
In other words: pre-prep is part of mise en place, but mise en place is a broader concept that involves the complete preparation of the workstation.
Why do mise en place in your restaurant?
Mise en place is an indispensable process in a professional kitchen. Below, understand why it matters and how it can impact different aspects of a restaurant's operation.
operational efficiency
With everything prepped and organized before service begins, the kitchen team can work faster and more efficiently. This reduces customer wait times and improves the kitchen's overall productivity.
Waste reduction
Preparing and measuring the ingredients in advance allows for more precise portion control, avoiding excess and food waste. Besides making the restaurant more sustainable, this also reduces operating costs and increases profitability
Consistency in quality
Mise en place ensures that every dish is prepared with the same ingredients and in the same amounts, guaranteeing consistency in flavor and presentation. This is essential to maintaining quality and customer satisfaction.
Kitchen organization
An organized kitchen is essential to avoid mistakes and accidents. Mise en place helps keep the workstation clean and tidy, making the workflow and collaboration among team members easier.
This way, the work environment becomes more pleasant and employees more satisfied, which is very important to avoid high turnover.
Faster service
With the ingredients and utensils prepped and within reach, chefs can focus on cooking and plating the dishes, speeding up order delivery and improving the customer experience.
Since the wait time is reduced, table turnover increases and the restaurant can serve more customers, boosting revenue.
So, doing mise en place in restaurants contributes to several points that are essential to the success of the business: operational efficiency, cost reduction, meal quality, and customer experience.
To learn how to implement this practice in your kitchen, check out a step below!
Leia também: 7 reasons to adopt a KDS in your restaurant
How to do mise en place in restaurants?
Mise en place is a technique that is widely known and applied in professional kitchens.
For it to be carried out effectively, you need a well-defined process and team training. Some establishments use checklists to ensure food quality and safety standards.
See in the step-by-step below how to implement this technique in your restaurant's kitchen.
Menu planning
The first step is to define the day's menu and list all the necessary ingredients – vegetables, meats, seasonings, sauces, etc.
Consider the expected demand and any special events. This will allow for proper planning of purchasing and preparation.
Organizing and preparing the ingredients
Set aside all the ingredients on the list, then wash, sanitize, cut, chop, and weigh them as needed.
Store the prepped ingredients in proper containers and add labels for easy identification.
Preparing the workstation
Organize the utensils and equipment in an accessible, practical way. Every item should have its specific place to avoid confusion and ensure everything is within reach during cooking. If applicable, also preheat the griddles and ovens.
Finally, the space should be completely clean and organized before service begins.
Team training
Train your team to follow mise en place rigorously. Teach the importance of each step and how it impacts the efficiency and quality of the work.
And always reinforce the need to follow sanitation procedures and proper food handling.
Execution and improvement
After defining the processes and training the team, monitor whether mise en place is being followed correctly and make adjustments to ensure maximum efficiency.
Review the process frequently with the team to identify areas for improvement.
Get more productivity in your restaurant's kitchen
Mise en place is one of the fundamental processes for ensuring productivity in the kitchen. However, many other best practices can be adopted to optimize your team's work.
In this regard, technology plays a very important role. With an efficient KDS system, for example, you can:
- automate order management;
- track production status;
- organize order prep across different workstations;
- receive alerts for delays;
- let the waiter know when the dishes are ready.
These features make it possible to deliver excellent service and stand out in a highly competitive market.
If you want to adopt this technology in your restaurant, get to know EPOC! Our platform features a KDS system integrated with the POS and ERP so your operation reaches maximum efficiency. Fale com nossos consultores and understand how we can help your restaurant.
