We hope you like the new direction here at Chop Talk where we will be covering all things cooking from knife care to simple kitchen tips tricks and techniques that will help make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. We hope you enjoy the posts.
Today we’re going to talk about kitchen prep, or Mise en Place, plus we have a great video from Chef Randy showing how to keep your Ergo Chef Knives sharp and cutting like new.
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If you are a chef, foodie or just someone who knows their way around a kitchen, you have probably heard the term ‘Mise en place’. For the novice or at home cook, this may be a term that is foreign to you, well…..it’s foreign because its French…but….you know what we mean. It is also however, one of the first lessons learned by culinary students, it is that important a concept. Many home cooks who struggle with complicated recipes, more often than not, simply have these difficulties because they do not apply this simple method. So today, let’s look at its importance, both as it applies to cooking, and, how that translates to life.
Definitions
First, let’s define the term;  Mise en place, pronounced miz on plas, is a French phrase that literally means “putting in place.” It is also defined by the Culinary Institute of America as “everything in place,” referring to ‘set up’ in commercial kitchens. It refers to organizing and arranging the ingredients. You will find and be amazed to learn that once you apply this technique to your own cooking, rather than the lack of culinary acumen you once attributed to yourself, in most cases, it is simply the lack of this critical first step that is to blame. We promise, your whole world and opinion of yourself as a cook or chef will rise to new heights once you start employing ‘Mise en place’ to every recipe you attempt to tackle. (yes, even the simple ones)
Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows you to cook without having to stop and assemble items, which is most desirable in recipes with time constraints, but should be applied to any and all your cooking endeavours. If you are a new cook, or aspire to be competent in the kitchen, you can relate to getting flustered. You get food on the book, yourself, run back and forth from the recipe to the stove top or cutting board, etc. etc. etc Employing ‘Mise en place’  will elimate your frustration, ease any difficulty in interpreting a recipe, and allow you the true joy of creating a culinary masterpiece just like the ‘big time’ chefs. Having the right utensils, your Ergo Knives and a good set of pots and pans, can make all the difference to your cooking experience in the kitchen.
Mise en place in practice.
Recipes should be read through completely, before you ever start actually cooking, for necessary ingredients and equipment. Ingredients are then measured out, washed, chopped, and placed in individual bowls. Equipment, such as spatulas, knives and blenders are prepared for use and ovens (or pans) are preheated.
It is one of the simple ‘secrets’ that allows all of our favorite restaurant or TV chefs to make it look so stress free and easy, even when they are preparing art on a plate. Well, that and a line of cooks, alongside. Of course proper technique is also, if not just as, important to your success with complicated recipes, but this is step one in bringing your cooking experience to the next level. You will appreciate the ingredients, the process and the results with a newfound delight, while your family and friends will think you are secretly attending culinary school on the sly.  All it takes is a little Mise en place.

How to Sharpen your Ergo Knives with Chef Randy Smith

If you’re not familiar with using a Diamond Sharpening Rod or it makes you nervous,
not to worry!  You can take the guess work out of sharpening by using a
Pro-Series FastEdge® 2 stage manual knife sharpener that puts a great 18 degree
edge on your knives for perfect slices. You can find them here: Sharpeners

Until next time,
Ergo Chef
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