Mise en Place

[mikeycook]

I am an avid home cook who has always done my prep each day. However, on days my job is very busy, I find I don't have the energy to cook, particularly if there is a lot of prep work. Assuming I wanted to do mise en place with a number of different ingredients (minced garlic, diced shallots, diced onions, chiffonade of parsley, tomato concasse, etc.) how far in advance can I safely prepare things and store them in my refrigerator (I would like to avoid freezing)? How quickly will it degrade? Are there any ingredients that lend themselves to this approach more than others? What storage is recommended?

[Suzanne F]

Oh dear. All those items you mention degrade FAST -- you would be able to tell the difference if you did them even just one day ahead. At every restaurant I worked, we did those same items fresh every day; the longest they were held was from lunch service through dinner service; then we (on lunch) would have to do them fresh the next day.

Maybe you just need to get into the zone of slicing and dicing -- use prep as a way to wind down?

[Alex]

Onions, garlic, shallots, etc. lose flavor if chopped too far ahead of time (e.g., before you leave for work), ditto most herbs. Tomato concasse probably is ok but should be stored tightly covered at room temp, not in the fridge.

My work involves a lot of intense mental activity (psychotherapy). Even if I'm tired when I get home, once I overcome my inertia I really enjoy prepping and cooking. Like Suzanne said, it helps me to wind down. And, unlike most therapy, I get to see positive results after only one hour!

And, as you mentioned, most of my after-work cooking involves minimal prep, maybe 10-15 min. at the most.

(Edited for additional content.)

Edited October 2, 2003 by Alex (log)

[NVNVGirl]

I am also an avid home cook and I find it so much simpler to get my dishes made when I've prepped ahead. I have many times, done the garlic, onions, parsley and things like that and put them in glass custard dishes with plastic wrap over them the nite or afternoon before I"ll be using them. That has worked very well for me. I don't think I'd do them too much in advance (perhaps the onions could be chopped 2 days ahead), especially things like herbs because they seem to get limp and lose a lot of that "freshness". Personally, I wouldn't freeze things like this b/c I'd probably forget to defrost them until it was "showtime".

[mikeycook]

That's what I was afraid of. That's why I always do my prep as part of the meal prep (don't want to lose freshness if possible). I find prep relaxing, but it does take time and I was looking for some ways to get meals ready faster after work. Maybe I'll just focus on some recipes with less prep.

Edited October 2, 2003 by mikeycook (log)

[Suzanne F]

Okay: if you DO choose to do it a day ahead -- but you won't be happy with the taste if you do it any earlier than that -- seal the chopped onions etc. tightly in covered containers, with damp paper towel below and over the food. That will help prevent it from drying out, although it will still lose flavor some. It kind of works for parsley, too. But don't try it with basil -- by the next day it will be black and tasteless.

One thing you CAN do a day ahead with herbs is pluck them and store the "pluches" in a covered container of water, in the fridge. Not too cold, though. Then at least you'll have them ready to just dry off and chiffonade. And again, one day is about as long as you can keep them.

If you slice mushrooms the day before, use dry paper towels, not damp. There are those who say Don't cover the container AT ALL; but from one day to the next, I've found that as long as there's a dry towel on top, it's okay to cover the container lightly with plastic wrap. The main idea is to permit the liquid the mushrooms "breath out" to dissipate, and not collect and turn them all slick and disgusting. But then I also prep a lot of mushrooms at one time, saute them, and freeze them in recipe-size portions (at home, anyway).

I hope this makes you feel a little better.

[marie-louise]

I was looking for some ways to get meals ready faster after work.  Maybe I'll just focus on some recipes with less prep.

Soapbox alert-you have touched on one of my pet peeves!

I personally think that mise en place is way over-rated for the typical weekday meal. I understand that it essential to prep before service in a restaurant, but to me, it makes no sense at home unless you are preparing a large and elaborate dinner party. You can get dinner on the table much, much faster if you multi-task and prep as you go. When you stop and think about it, very few things require your complete and undivided attention (the exception being stir-frying, even I do mise en place for that.)

For instance, here's how I would make risotto for a weeknight meal:

Chop onions/ garlic & start sauting them (that takes 5 minutes or so.) In that 5 minutes, open wine and get Arborio out of pantry. Partially thaw stock in microwave, then put in saucepan to come to simmer. Saute rice, add wine. Start adding stock. IMO, risotto needs to be stirred often, not constantly, so while I was occasionally stirring it, I'd prep any other ingredients that were going into the risotto. Most things get added during the last 10 minutes, so they can be prepped while you are stirring. The table can be set during this time as well. Start to finish, risotto done my way takes under 25 minutes. Preparing it using the mise en place would take most people an additional 15 minutes or so.

Now, I have a small kitchen, so I'm never more than a couple of steps away from the stove, and I WAS an ER nurse for 15 years so I'm probably a little better at multi-tasking than some, but I think anyone can speed up their start-to-finish time.

[NVNVGirl]

I was looking for some ways to get meals ready faster after work.  Maybe I'll just focus on some recipes with less prep.

Soapbox alert-you have touched on one of my pet peeves!

I personally think that mise en place is way over-rated for the typical weekday meal. I understand that it essential to prep before service in a restaurant, but to me, it makes no sense at home unless you are preparing a large and elaborate dinner party. You can get dinner on the table much, much faster if you multi-task and prep as you go. When you stop and think about it, very few things require your complete and undivided attention (the exception being stir-frying, even I do mise en place for that.)

For instance, here's how I would make risotto for a weeknight meal:

Chop onions/ garlic & start sauting them (that takes 5 minutes or so.) In that 5 minutes, open wine and get Arborio out of pantry. Partially thaw stock in microwave, then put in saucepan to come to simmer. Saute rice, add wine. Start adding stock. IMO, risotto needs to be stirred often, not constantly, so while I was occasionally stirring it, I'd prep any other ingredients that were going into the risotto. Most things get added during the last 10 minutes, so they can be prepped while you are stirring. The table can be set during this time as well. Start to finish, risotto done my way takes under 25 minutes. Preparing it using the mise en place would take most people an additional 15 minutes or so.

Now, I have a small kitchen, so I'm never more than a couple of steps away from the stove, and I WAS an ER nurse for 15 years so I'm probably a little better at multi-tasking than some, but I think anyone can speed up their start-to-finish time.

You don't live with my husband. I do entertain quite a bit, but I find it MUCH easier to complete a meal with less interference when I have most of the ingredients prepped ahead of time, even for weekday meals . My husband thinks as soon as he sees the white of an onion's eye, food is immediately forthcoming and if it's not, he's a total nuisance in the kitchen till the meal is on the table. Much less stress doing it this way for me. In addition, we often go out for cocktails in the early evening so the meal is expedited once we finally arrive back home.

Incidentally; now see how our worklives creep over into our home lives, LOL? I was an ICU nurse for 25 yrs....ER=being ready at the last second for whatever happens vs. ICU=having everything in place b/c you KNOW what's going to happen. I LOVE It!

[AlexP]

I agree in general with marie-louise comments. As an amateur cook, I enjoy more multitasking (within the cooking) than having everything ready before starting the actual cooking. This is true for me with dishes that I am familiar with (techniques and products). When more complicated dishes (or new to me) are prepared, I have more pre-work done. I do believe that if the cook is not too proficient with cutting and following some techniques, the pre-work can be really helpful.

Sorry I an not answering the original question, in that regard, for cooking weekly dinners, you can probably get away with doing some pre-work ahead of time following some of the suggestions found the previous posts.

Alex

[Rachel Perlow]

This kind of do ahead prep work is one of the things that make a vaccuum sealer like the Food Saver worth having. You can prep peppers, onions, celery, carrots, herbs, etc., into dice and store in pint sized mason jar sealed with the FS. If you use the tape over the hole technique for the lid the jars are very easy to open and reseal after removing the quantity of food you want.

However, the best way I've found to do onions, is to dice mass quantities at once and cook them all at the same time as well. I figure 1 cup diced onion equals 1 onion, so the small and large onions average out. Measure the raw, diced onion before cooking. 10 cups equals 10 onions. Divide the cooked onions into 10 portions, this usually turns out to be about 1/8 cup if they are well cooked down, but not browned. Put the portions into sandwich or snack sized baggies. Smoosh out the air and freeze flat.

So many recipes start by cooking a diced onion for 5-10 minutes, much easier to heat the pan, and add the onions with whatever is step 2 and save 10 minutes every time you cook.

[Toliver]

This kind of do ahead prep work is one of the things that make a vaccuum sealer like the Food Saver worth having. ...

So many recipes start by cooking a diced onion for 5-10 minutes, much easier to heat the pan, and add the onions with whatever is step 2 and save 10 minutes every time you cook.

Rachel,

I agree that a Foodsaver is great for something exactly like this. Having pre-diced veggies ready at hand and being able to have them stay relatively "fresh" would be ideal. It saves time and effort.

Personally, though, I don't think I would pre-cook my onions or any veggie before freezing them. I would assume that part of the reason a recipe is asking me to saute onions would be to add depth of flavor to the dish as well as develop a good fond for an eventual sauce. If you skip the act of carmelization, I'd think you would skip some flavor.

If I am grilling a hamburger, then your pre-carmelized/pre-cooked onions would be quite appropriate for a topping.

I guess it would depend upon how you're going to use them.

[tommy]

i generally chop and measure beforehand, especially if i'm following a recipe. overall, i'm not sure that it saves time, but i don't do it to save time. i do it to make the time i'm cooking relaxing and organized, as that makes the process more pleasant, and allows me to have some wine and chat with friends during the process.

[Rachel Perlow]

So many recipes start by cooking a diced onion for 5-10 minutes, much easier to heat the pan, and add the onions with whatever is step 2 and save 10 minutes every time you cook.

Personally, though, I don't think I would pre-cook my onions or any veggie before freezing them. I would assume that part of the reason a recipe is asking me to saute onions would be to add depth of flavor to the dish as well as develop a good fond for an eventual sauce. If you skip the act of carmelization, I'd think you would skip some flavor.

If I am grilling a hamburger, then your pre-carmelized/pre-cooked onions would be quite appropriate for a topping.

I guess it would depend upon how you're going to use them.

You need to precook most vegetables before freezing them. I use a plastic scraper to get all the fond, I'll deglaze the pan with a touch of water at the end. I usually stop the precooking before the onions brown. If you want more carmelization, then just brown them for a minute or two before continuing the recipe.

Actually, I wouldn't use these onions as a hamburger topping because I like to keep the onions as rings for that, and I'll grill slices alongside the burgers for that.

[wesza]

The only items that I often prepare in Bulk that keep well is the "Tomatos Sauces", if sealed in a good container, with additional layer of plastic wrap, with some olive oil covering the top, to prevent oxidation it will keep several weeks. The other item that i'll prepare for utilization is Garlic, diced and mixed with butter, vegetable oil, or olive oil as a base for cooking it stays in ready to go condition for several weeks as well. Onions, Herbs, Peppers or Veggies are okay if made the day before using, if stored correctly in seperate air tight containers. If they will be used for cooking then if they are partially sauted, and left in a sealed container with the fat's used in sauteing they will be okay refrigerated for several days. Irwin

[Nick]

For regular home cooking I can't imagine prepping most stuff anymore than a hour or two in advance. I don't cut onions or garlic more than 15 minutes before using.

What's everyone doing that's so much more important than taking some time to cook at a reasonable pace?

[marie-louise]

What's everyone doing that's so much more important than taking some time to cook at a reasonable pace?

Why, reading eGullet, of course!

[Placebo]

I tend to prep as I go. Usually I'll start by prepping whatever I'll need for the first few steps of the process to carry me till the next break in the cooking action. Things neeed later will be prepped as I go. I'm not a particularly fast cook either but the prep work is definitely therapeutic for me at the end of the day. Pu ton some good music and use the chef's knife to just work some of that stress out. I try and also keep things around that can be used to make a very quick meal as well. For instance I can generally bust out a pretty decent yaki-soba in under about 30 minutes, start to finish, including meat or tofu and 2-4 different veggies and a sauce whipped up from whatever I have on hand that seems tasty. Now that I have a decent wok and gas burner I can probably peel another 5 minutes off that time.

[Of course there are also nights where I get some damn-fool cooking idea in my head and end up not eating till 11 so...]

[mikeycook]

I was looking for some ways to get meals ready faster after work.  Maybe I'll just focus on some recipes with less prep.

Soapbox alert-you have touched on one of my pet peeves!

I personally think that mise en place is way over-rated for the typical weekday meal. I understand that it essential to prep before service in a restaurant, but to me, it makes no sense at home unless you are preparing a large and elaborate dinner party. You can get dinner on the table much, much faster if you multi-task and prep as you go. When you stop and think about it, very few things require your complete and undivided attention (the exception being stir-frying, even I do mise en place for that.)

I generally like the prep-as-you-go approach, but not always. If I am trying a new technique or a new recipe, I like to be able to pay more attention to the food as it cooks and observe it rather than doing my prep with my back to the stove (I have a small galley-style kitchen.)

Also, I generally cook for two and, depending on the dish, wind up chopping 1/2 or 1/4 of an onion, for instance, and have thought at times it would be easier to just chop the whole thing and use it the next night. The times I have done this, I have not been happy with the ingredient the next night and have generally started from scratch anyway.

Edited October 3, 2003 by mikeycook (log)

[bryan]

I totally agree with those who are against the early chopping of onions and garlic. They do not taste good after just a couple of hours, IMO.

If you want to save time I would like to suggest a Zyliss ready prep(?). It's an upright chopper that works really, really well. I love fresh parsley and use it in almost every dinner. It takes seconds to mince the amount you need for a quick garnish. Great for garlic and minced onions too. I've only had it a week now so I might get over the love affair but it's worth a try. Also, a good mandoline will save you tons of time.

This things you can do in advance where the food doesn't suffer: grated soft cheeses, celery chopped and added to water, cleaned greens wrapped in a damp paper towel, crushed garlic immersed in olive oil and roasted peppers come immediately to mind.

This is only my second post and I hope I haven't screwed it up.

[Placebo]

If you're packing garlic in olive oil make sure, upon using, that you cook them thoroughly upon using as the mix can harbor botulism. The risk is reduced if you refrigerate it for storage but it's still something to keep in mind. The same is true for preserving any other low-acid foods and herbs in olive oil.

[SobaAddict70]

Welcome to eGlutton (er, I mean eGullet ), bryan.

Soba

[wesza]

I tend to prep as I go.  Usually I'll start by prepping whatever I'll need for the first few steps of the process to carry me till the next break in the cooking action.  Things neeed later will be prepped as I go.  I'm not a particularly fast cook either but the prep work is definitely therapeutic for me at the end of the day.  Pu ton some good music and use the chef's knife to just work some of that stress out.  I try and also keep things around that can be used to make a very quick meal as well.  For instance I can generally bust out a pretty decent yaki-soba in under about 30 minutes, start to finish, including meat or tofu and 2-4 different veggies and a sauce whipped up from whatever I have on hand that seems tasty.  Now that I have a decent wok and gas burner I can probably peel another 5 minutes off that time. 

[Of course there are also nights where I get some damn-fool cooking idea in my head and end up not eating till 11 so...]

Placabo: Excellent point. I should have reinterated that the Garlic/Oil mixture should be kept under refrigeration until being used for cooking. I also personally add "Aji-No-Moto", MSG in place of salt to enhance the Garlic absortion in the oil, and to alleviate any bacterial growth. I'm comfortable using MSg in controlled amounts in place of Salt, since the effect is comparable without the adverse effects obtained by using salt. I always keep in mind that the largest known exposure with high natural occurance of MSG is in Human Nursing Mothers Milk. I know this will surprise many eGulletiers but research this topic on the internet. It's been well known scientifically for years. Appearently there has never been any proven allergies to date. It's not that I encouage it's use, but I feel it's better then using salt. Irwin