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Handy Pots
Appears in
By Jack Monroe
Published 2020
My dad was a Paratrooper, before he was a firefighter and foster carer and first aid teacher, and those of you who have been similarly raised by an ex-military parent may identify with some aspects of my childhood. Specifically, the ability to be able to polish and bull a pair of shoes, make hospital corners with flat sheets, and you may be familiar with the phrase: ‘proper preparation prevents piss-poor performance’, which was barked at me and my siblings on a near-daily basis.
When I have worked in restaurant kitchens, a similar concept is known as mise en place, which is French for ‘things in place’, or, as a layperson may say: ‘prep’. Mise en place usually refers to the setting up of ingredients and equipment to make the running of the kitchen smooth and efficient, and can range from chopping vegetables, to ensuring everything you need is to hand, and to making some of the component parts of a dish in advance so it is easier to pull together in a busy service shift.