— Kevin Rice

So a template or methodology per se is to, number one, Get some cooking under your belt. So you've got some experience that you can lean on, at least a little bit, right? We got to start with something. And start to think about what item, right, or which dish is going to take the longest to prepare, longest to cook, you know, and that might be an initial cooking phase, or it could be the whole process, including the finishing at the tail end of that preparation. But think about what takes longest, and get started on that first. Okay? And then shorter processes can be started, you know, uh, after that, uh, as all these things then sort of point to this point of culmination at the end, right? Now, at the foundation of all of this is going to be mise en place. And I really cannot overemphasize the importance of mise en place. And, you know, as home cooks go, Oftentimes, We, certainly when we're starting out, we, we don't understand the concept, we don't appreciate how important that is to the flow of cooking. And the success of finishing a meal that has multiple components, or even one dish that's got, you know, different things going into it. Um, successfully, you know, from a timing perspective. Now, if you are coming from a restaurant, kitchen background, uh, you know, in terms of the actual cooking of a of a dish. So it could be as a line cook, or even banquet cooking. Oh, I shouldn't say even banquet cooking, but also banquet cooking, then you definitely will understand, even with the smallest of experience, how important mise en plus is, a restaurant line cannot function. Certainly not gracefully and coherently and successfully, without having everything in its place, so that when an order comes in and oftentimes multiple orders. And in the case of, uh, banquet cookery, it could be 100s, uh, you know, of of orders in that particular party, that you need to prepare or execute in a very short period of time. And the only way to do that is to have everything prepared in front of you. Okay? So, Kevin and others out there. I want you to go back to that fundamental building block of, um, being, uh, discipline to set up your mise en place. And, uh, and then again, think about what items are going to start longest, get those things going 1st. And then as things, you know, get closer to culmination. Again, whether it's that single dish or the mealtime with multiple dishes coming together. You'll have the best opportunity for success, but all that still takes some practice, right? Simply having, uh, the mise en place in front of you. Uh, isn't going to get you necessarily to successful outcome. You need to practice using the mise en place with whatever it is that you're preparing, right, or the style of food generally that you prepare, perhaps at home, right, in this case. And um, so that's my, uh, template. Uh, with a focus on mise en place, and my methodology, okay, in terms of uh, practicing, and then starting with the item that takes the longest, and then moving toward completion. And again, uh, let me just add one last thought. Misim plus should include everything. It should include your final seasonings. As you do a check for salt and acidity. Uh, it should include your garnishes. Um, that are going to be that final little touch on on the plate or on the dish before it goes out. So all those things should be in reach. They should be organized in a place where you're not going to overlook them or forget them in some way. Okay? And have fun with that, and of course, practice makes better.