Kitchen tip of the week

Mise en Place {MEEZ ahn plahs}
is a French culinary term meaning "everything in its place".

For busy people, cooking can become a challenge and often a second thought, but too many nights out to eat end up being hard on the body as well as the pocket book. The term "Mise en place" is what culinary students are taught in their first semester of cooking school. It means "everything in its place". It’s one of the first things students are asked to commit to. Cooking meals at home can be made a lot easier by using this simple term. There are two things to consider; one is gathering all your ingredients for the recipe you are going to make. The second is an organized kitchen, they both go hand in hand when it comes to making meal time a more enjoyable task.

I always recommend that even in the smallest of kitchens, counter space is made clear and one large area dedicated completely to cutting and chopping with no obstacles in the way. Unless you bake on a regular basis, find a place in your cupboard for those ol’ flour and sugar canisters. All knick, knacks need to go too. In my opinion there is nothing worse than a cute kitchen that you can’t cook in. Even the smallest kitchen can be the center of the home with these easy suggestions.