The Muffin Tin Trick To Seriously Simplify Your Mise En Place

Mise en place is considered a culinary school basic, according to Baker Bettie. The term is French and simply means "everything in place." It is considered essential as chefs prep ingredients to make a specific dish, but it is really more of a philosophy about organization in addition to prepping for a recipe. Baker Bettie says that to be ready to go when you want to make something means you must also be prepared to follow the tenants of mis en place.

The first tenant is to read through the recipe you plan to make so you are familiar with "workflow" and all of the ingredients you are going to need. Additionally, Baker Bettie says you want to make certain you understand all the cooking terms a recipe uses and that your workspace is clean and free of clutter. Next, you need to gather the ingredients. This step is when professional chefs you see on television, like Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, and Bobby Flay, measure out all their ingredients and place them in little bowls, ready for use.

If the thought of extra bowls has you reconsidering mise en place, Lifehacker has a muffin tin trick you might want to try it.

According to Lifehacker, rather than take out copious bowls and containers to fill with the ingredients you need to make a recipe, use a muffin tin. Using the muffin tin will not only organize your ingredients but will save you time when it comes to cleanup. Lifehacker shares that they learned this trick from America's Test Kitchen, which explained further in a tweet, "Fit each cup with a silicone liner or coffee filter (if preferred!), and fill with small amounts of up to 12 ingredients."

Lifehacker also suggests using your paper muffin liners if you want to keep your muffin tin clean and have the ability to remove the liner and the ingredients for ease of adding to a recipe. But why do you want to have everything ready to use? As Baker Bettie notes, when you use the mise en place system, it not only helps you determine whether or not you have all of the ingredients you need for your recipe, but it ensures all of the ingredients the recipe calls for actually make it into the mixing bowl or pot.