Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I think I do. I also only do it for Asian things or when I have company and want things prepped ahead of time.

I am so accustomed to doing mise en place at this point in my life, I can't possibly imagine not doing it.

Amy

I always do it too. Time isn't much of an issue with me. And I need to get all "knife skills tasks" out of the way especially when cocktails are involved, which is more often than not when cooking with and for friends.
Nance

I do it and will probably always do it....its a habit I can live with. I think it makes following a complicated reciped much easier.

That's what husbands are for!

Amy

I do agree with her. The needs and goals of cooking on the line are so different from the needs of cooking at home that much of time mise is actively unhelpful when cooking at home. And the idea that cooking just like chefs in restaurants do should be the goal of home cooks is silly.
For what it's worth, I feel that what makes a chef a chef, as opposed to a line cook, is how they think about the foods they're cooking. And people at home can do that without needing to be able to clock a world record in mushroom fluting.
As a baker I find the technique of interweaving tasks to be the only way to get stuff done. If I had to wait each time a tray went in the oven before getting on with the next step in another recipe, I would never finish! Add in any amount of yeast dough and it's obvious that getting everything all set up first is untenable. Not to mention that some times you need cold butter and sometimes soft butter, so some butter gets scaled as needed and some gets scaled ahead of time to get warm.
You DO need to at least read all they way through any new recipe before starting.

I agree with Becky, I read the recipe over a couple of times before I start. I particularly pay attention to ingredients that are listed twice (when I copy those to my LC, I always put them only once and add divided, then put the correct amount needed when they are to be used in the procedure/directions.).

However, unless I am prepping several recipes at once or doing a stir fry type meal, I mostly do what is suggested by Sarah. I prep one as the other cooks. I bake that way as well, only prepping ahead if there is a time concern when adding ingredients. CI used this method in The Best 30 minute.

A couple of caveats, though. I bring in fresh herbs from the garden and wash them, so they are dry when I cut them. I check to make sure especially when baking that I have enough of all the ingredients needed. When cooking some of my best recipes have come from realizing I was short or out of one or more ingredients.

Also when using the food processor, there is a time saving order, so I always do it that way. Also do it baking when possible, e.g. beat the whites first in the small bowl, then beat the stuff in the large bowl if using the same beaters.

When making multiple recipes at a time, I do use it, because I need to separate the onions, garlic, etc., needed for each, but cut/process all that is needed for both, then measure and set aside.

Finally when making a meal for company, I like to prep as much as I can early (the night before sometimes) in which case I will have everything ready ahead in case I get interrupted.

Mise en place looks neat and professional, but creates a lot of stuff to wash (we don't use the dw for the 2 of us). Instead, if liquids (e.g. stock, wine) are to be added to dry in a bowl, I measure the wet in a large measuring cup and add the dry to it and mix in the cup. Less to wash. Ditto for melting stuff in microwave, I use a 4 or 8 cup Pyrex and then add stuff to it.

I agree with Sarah. If I had to chop everything and put it in little bowls, etc. before I started the recipe we wouldn't eat until 9:00. This is not to say I haven't forgotten to add something to a recipe (for example the other day I forgot to add vanilla to something because I didn't take the vanilla out of the fridge). I think when you are first learning to cook it's also a good idea to do mise-en-place because you probably aren't fast enough at chopping the chicken while the onions are sweating, for example.

I do it almost all the time, but then, I make a lot of Asian and Mexican food, which have many ingredients, and with many of the dishes you have to have them ready to add at the right time, as hesitating can ruin the dish. Many, if not most of the stir-fries I make (even non-Asian types) take much more time putting together than the actual cooking. And Alina makes a couple of good points: for multiple dishes, who wants to mince up several cloves of garlic for each of 5 dishes as you get to them? And lining the ingredients up can tell you if you have all that is called for before you start cooking.