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Heard a line cook say mise en place is overrated and it got me thinking | Chefs - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

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kimr91•3mo ago

Heard a line cook say mise en place is overrated and it got me thinking

I was grabbing a drink after my shift and this young cook said mise en place is just for people who can't handle the rush. I've been doing it for 12 years at a busy place in Austin and I don't see how you survive a Friday night without having everything prepped. Am I missing something or is that just asking for chaos?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_schmidt773mo ago

Exactly what @jennybailey said. That line cook is gonna learn the hard way one day. Mise en place isn't about being weak, it's about not screwing the whole crew when the ticket machine starts screaming.

ray_burns3mo ago

Not screwing the whole crew" - that's the part that gets me lol. When you're on a busy line, one guy falling behind or running out of prep can domino effect the whole station. I've seen a whole tickets board go red because one guy was too proud to chop onions during down time. It's not about being weak, it's about being a pro who respects the team. That mind set of "I'll just wing it" usually crashes hard around 7pm on a Saturday, and then the whole kitchen hates you for the rest of the shift. Mise en place is basically kitchen insurance, plain and simple.

jennybailey3mo ago

Oh man, that's a wild take from that cook. Mise en place has saved my sanity more times than I can count, especially during the crazy rushes. I used to work at a spot where we'd do these huge catering orders on top of regular service, and if I hadn't had everything chopped and measured out before the dinner rush, we'd have been sunk. There was this one time early in my career where I tried to wing it without prepping, thinking I could handle it, and I ended up burning my hand and having to toss a whole batch of sauce because I was rushing. That experience taught me that mise en place isn't about being weak, it's about being smart and ready for whatever comes at you. So no, you're not missing anything - that cook probably just hasn't hit a really bad shift yet to learn the hard way.