Mise en place is a French kitchen phrase that means “putting in place" or “gathering.” It refers to the discipline and organization a good chef exhibits in the kitchen. To practice mise en place, a chef should have all of their ingredients and supplies prepared and organized before they begin cooking.
The phrase grew prominent in the late 19th century and is used in professional kitchens, cooking classes, and a variety of other settings to this day. By following mise en place, a cook can ensure they have everything they need at their workstation. This eliminates the need for extra movement throughout the kitchen and positions them for success in a fast-paced environment.
Mise En Place Examples
Mise en place lends itself to a variety of different contexts. Whether you’re using it during food prep, cooking, or another aspect of your kitchen, it is an essential tool for success. Below, we’ve listed common ways to apply mise en place in the foodservice industry:
- Professional kitchens: Chefs across the globe use mise en place to prepare a variety of ingredients, such as mirepoix. They stay prepared throughout the day by ensuring ingredients are measured, prepared, and cleaned before cooking.
- Hibachi style cooking: Hibachi chefs cook on large, open surfaces and use many ingredients at once. In this setting, following mise en place allows them to achieve the best results.
- Washing fruits and vegetables: When it comes to washing fruits and vegetables, maintaining an organized workplace is essential. Following mise en place allows you to ensure none of your produce is out of place.
- Cutting fruits and vegetables: As you cut fruits and vegetables, it’s important to keep them separated from one another. This prevents cross-contamination and ensures that your ingredients are prepared to cook.
- Cutting meat: Whether you’re preparing cuts of beef, pork, or another meat, practicing mise en place ensures that every cut is sorted and accounted for.
- Gathering supplies: Using mise en place to organize cooking accessories and equipment helps a chef work efficiently. Not only can they find equipment with ease, but their workplace will be clean and easy to navigate.
Why Is Mise En Place Important?
Whether you're a baker, a chef, or a restaurant manager, mise en place is an essential habit to learn. Continue reading to discover the key benefits associated with mise en place and how they relate to your workplace:
- Efficiency: Mise en place facilitates efficiency in the kitchen. By doing prep work before they begin cooking, your staff will save time and move seamlessly through the steps of each recipe.
- Organization: An organized workplace is the first step towards success. It reduces confusion in the workplace and cuts down on wasted product. By keeping all of your equipment and ingredients in one place, your staff won't have to navigate the kitchen while they cook.
- Preparation: With mise en place, your staff can identify missing ingredients before they cook. This ensures that orders are completed on time and recipes are prepared correctly.
- Decreased waste: By measuring your ingredients beforehand, you can reduce food waste. Over time, this can help save money.
Mise En Place Steps
Mise en place is a relatively easy concept to practice. It requires preparation, organization, and attention to detail. To properly use mise en place in your workplace, follow these simple guidelines:
- Plan: Read through your recipe and develop a strategy before you begin cooking.
- Gather ingredients and supplies: Once you've read the recipe, go through the kitchen and acquire all necessary ingredients and supplies.
- Prepare ingredients: One by one, take the time to wash, cut, dice, chop, or measure your ingredients as directed.
- Sort: Place each ingredient into an appropriately sized dish, bowl, or container. Doing so ensures that every ingredient is easy to identify.
- Place ingredients: Set your ingredients around your cooking station and align them for easy access.
For large-scale cooking projects such as a buffet, consider placing your cold ingredients in containers that fit in a commercial refrigerator. This keeps temperature-sensitive ingredients fresh while ensuring they are easy to access while you cook. By working these steps into the beginning of your cooking process, you’ll improve your efficiency and enhance your menu.
No matter what kind of business you own, mise en place allows you to achieve your goals in an organized way. By familiarizing yourself with the ways mise en place can be applied, the steps you'll need to follow to practice it, and the benefits it can provide, you'll be able to transform your workplace.
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How to Make A Restaurant Schedule
A functional dining room service relies on a logical staff schedule. Before you spend any time making your employee schedule, it’s important to know some of the basics first. Factors like tipping, weekly hours, time off, overtime, and laws for employing minors all come into play when making a successful restaurant schedule. While it can seem overwhelming, there are a few helpful things to keep in mind that will make the process much easier. What are Tipped Employees? A tipped employee is someone who mainly earns their wages through tips. While there are many professions where tipping is customary, servers and bartenders are among the most common. Tipped wages are calculated differently, depending on your state. Some states are required to pay their employees full minimum wage before tips, in which case patrons are expected to tip less or not at all. However, tipping at restaurants is customary throughout most of the United States, so servers are typically only paid a minimum cash wage that’s combined with tip wages to reach the federal minimum wage or more. You should also keep in mind that certain members of your staff will not receive tips. Typically, the front-of-house staff will split their tips from the shift, and back-of-house don’t receive tips. With that in mind, make sure your prep cooks and dish washers are making an hourly wage that’s appropriate. How to Offer a Fair Week’s Work for Your Employees Aside from compensating for some employees receiving tips while others don’t, it’s also important to note that some shifts are more lucrative than others because more customers mean more tips. No matter what kind of foodservice establishment you have, this is just a fact of life. There are a few ways you can ensure that every person receives an appropriate amount of tips throughout the week. Vary Each Person’s Shift Time In most cases, your business will have busy times and slow times of day. If you own a coffee shop, the early morning hours will likely be the most popular, as patrons swing by to pick up coffee or breakfast on their way to work. If you’re the owner of a bar, evening will likely be your busiest time, as people wind down with a beer after a long day. So keep an open dialogue with your staff about these patterns and make sure everyone gets an opportunity to earn fair tips by switching up their schedule. One of the best ways to approach this difference between shifts is to spread your staff out evenly, allowing equal opportunities for your senior staff and new hires to experience a mix of different times of the day. This will also ensure that everyone gets ample experience and is properly trained on all the different responsibilities that come with each shift time, which will ultimately leave more room for flexibility when it comes to employees filling in for each other. Schedule an Appropriate Amount of People You need to make sure more people are scheduled during busy times and fewer people during slow times. Not only does this make the division of tips fairer, but it also ensures that there are enough employees to complete the necessary tasks in relation to the demand. If you’re not sure what times of day are busiest, most POS systems can track transaction activity throughout the day, so you can pull graphs and see exactly when your traffic is at its peaks and lows. While it may seem like a good idea to compensate for slower times by offering a higher hourly rate during the times where tips are sparse, chances are that your slower shifts are less strenuous for your staff. So it makes sense that they should make more money for serving more customers. Conversely, any down time can be spent cleaning or taking care of other important tasks, so it’s still a valuable and productive time. But you probably don’t need three people to mop the floor, and if you have too many employees sitting around, they’ll need to split the small amount of tips they made and each go home with pennies. Keep Some People On Call While keeping some staff on call is not ideal, this approach can ensure that you have the help you need if things get unexpectedly busy. Similarly, don’t be afraid to send people home if things are slow. While it’s not good to ask your employees to shuffle their personal lives around to accommodate last-minute requests, being upfront with them about staying flexible for a few hours on a Saturday is alright every now and then. Also, you can encourage your managers to step in if things get crazy, since they have a higher hourly pay rate. Hire More than One Manager Take some of the pressure off your manager by hiring two co-managers. That way, you can have one manager on duty at all times to address any issues that may be too demanding of your regular staff’s time. While it may seem like paying two manager wages is not beneficial to your business, having a manager present at all times can go a long way towards improving a customer’s experience. And, as we all know, providing a positive experience for your customers is the only way your business will succeed. Remember That Your Employees Have Personal Lives Whether they’re working around school, a family, or second job, chances are your employees all have different scheduling needs. Ideally, you can get a sense of each person’s unique schedule when they’re first hired. That way, you can staff your establishment with people with varying availability. But even then, life happens and schedules are likely to change. So, when it comes to making a fair schedule, keep an open mind and check your employees' availability. Make Sure Your Employees Have Time to Rest Ensuring that each staff member has a fair amount of time off goes a long way towards preventing stress and fatigue. You should hire enough people so that everyone can have two days off per week, and if those days can be consecutive, that’s ideal. Also, make sure that you only ever ask the same person to close and open the next day if it’s an emergency. You want your staff to have enough time to feel well rested before returning to work. You should also come up with a clear system your staff can use to request time off for family events or vacations. Making Your Restaurant Schedule Most restaurant schedules are set up something like this: Name Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Becky X X 9 - 2 11 - 5 5 - Cl 11 - 5 9 - 2 Thomas 11 - 5 5 - Cl X X 11 - 5 9 - 2 9 - 5 Sue 5 - Cl 11 - 5 X 9 - 2 X 5 - Cl 5 - Cl Bill 9 – 2 9 - 2 1 - Cl 5 - Cl 9 - 2 X X This might be a typical setup for a coffee shop or bakery—something not too demanding. A full-service restaurant would obviously require more hands on deck, but this example should help represent the basic idea. As you can see, each day overlaps two people for at least an hour to give one person time to take care of any prep work, restocking, or other back-of-house tasks while the other person stays available to help customers. Each employee is given varying shift times to provide equal opportunity for tips and training experience. You’ll also notice that, while ideally your shifts will always begin and end at the same time, there will likely be instances where you’ll need to tack on a few hours to a shift to make up for an employee’s time off or other variable. In these cases, it’s a good idea to schedule lengthened shifts for slower days so your staff doesn’t get too fatigued. Here's a list of things to keep in mind while making your employee schedule: Determine how many of your employees fall into restrictions due to labor regulations, such as hours allotted to minors. Indicate each person’s days off. Figure out what roles need to be filled at different points during the day (i.e. what time should the prep cooks be there vs. when should your second bartender arrive to help cover the rush). Make sure you stagger your managers’ schedules. And everyone else’s schedules, for that matter. Fill out each shift so that there’s ample coverage all day. Calculate your FTE (full-time equivalent) for accounting purposes. While this is a basic example with just a few employees and shifts, larger establishments will, of course, have more people and more moving parts. Having a larger staff can certainly complicate things, but it also gives you more flexibility to shuffle things around in a way that will work best for everyone. Restaurant Scheduling Software While it’s possible to lay out your schedule manually, there are programs that can save you a lot of time and hassle as you create your schedule each week. For new businesses or schedulers, software can be a massive timesaver. There are a variety of places you can find software, so take some time to shop around and pick what works best for your needs. Some programs are designed to work with any foodservice setup. Meanwhile, other programs are made for specific demographics, like independent restaurateurs. There's no universal "right" answer when it comes to making a schedule — you just have to pick one that works for you. If you don't want to use software, consider using the old fashioned method of a calendar, employee roster, and a little more time. Posting Your Schedule <figure class="article-image cta-caption"> <figcaption>Shop Planning Boards</figcaption> </figure> Your staff’s schedule will likely see frequent changes. It’s always a good idea to give your employees as much notice as possible, so plan on posting your schedule at least two weeks in advance. One popular method for posting schedules is to use a whiteboard with grid lines. You can transcribe your printed schedule onto a large whiteboard and let your staff trade shifts as much as they please. Just make sure to monitor overtime and schedules for minors. Other Restaurant Schedule Considerations Making a restaurant schedule can often seem like a juggling act. Just when you think you have everything laid out fairly and efficiently, another factor will come into play. Here are a few things to remember, especially if you ask some of your staff to work extra hours one week: Overtime Overtime is earned whenever an employee works more than 40 hours in a work week. The time that they work over the 40 hours earns them their regular pay plus 50% of their hourly wage. So if one of your prep cooks earns $10 an hour, but they work 42 hours in one week, they would earn $15 an hour for the two hours they worked overtime. To avoid overtime, maintain a well-equipped staff and a restaurant schedule that caps employees at or below 40 hours per week. You can also encourage overtime to allow employees to earn more, though the extra time worked could have an adverse effect on their energy. Work Scheduling Laws for Minors Foodservice jobs are some of the most popular positions for teenagers. In fact, many people’s first job is at a restaurant, washing dishes or waiting tables. As a restaurant owner, you will likely receive applications or job inquiries from people under the age of 18, so it’s important to know the legal guidelines for employing minors. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Measuring your work hours in the context of Full-Time Equivalent is beneficial for accounting purposes. This approach is popular for all kinds of businesses that employ many part time employees. In addition to making things clearer when tax time comes around, calculating FTE can ensure that you have enough coverage for each shift, without employing too many people. You want to make sure you can provide each person with enough hours to make the job worth their while, without overworking them or needing to go into overtime. By calculating the Full-Time Equivalent, you can more easily predict what kinds of hours each person will work and how much training you’re investing into each position. If all this information is making your head spin, just remember that restaurant scheduling doesn’t always have to be overly complicated. The best way to avoid headaches around your staff’s schedule is to create a culture of accountability in your restaurant. By earning the trust and respect of your employees, you can create a motivated work environment where your staff will want to show up on time. Building a trusted team of reliable employees is the best thing you can do to alleviate stress when schedule time comes around. Combine your staff’s accountability with scheduling software and other systems to keep you organized, and you’ll be an expert scheduler in no time.
How to Hire a Chef
Hiring a qualified chef for your restaurant is a challenge, but despite the obstacles, it's a vital part of your business's ability to succeed. A chef assists in training new staff, oversees cooking processes, develops menus, and provides input in marketing decisions that affect the restaurant. Below, we’ll explain how to find a chef for your restaurant, give sample chef interview questions, and suggest some qualities that could be beneficial for your chef to possess. Shop All Restaurant Training Books Click the links below to learn more about the hiring process: Where Can I Find a Chef for Hire? Chef Interview Questions Chef Skills and Qualities to Look for When Hiring What to Know Before You Replace Your Current Chef Where Can I Find a Chef for Hire? If you're wondering how to find a chef, we've created a list of some common recruiting methods you can use to hire a chef for your restaurant. Use a recruiting agency. Agencies are great at finding new chefs with minimal effort and replacements with discretion. If you are looking to replace your current chef, using an agency can help to keep your search quiet until you are ready to make the transition. As an added bonus, many recruiting agencies do not collect payment until a replacement is found and hired. Hire internally. Oftentimes, sous chefs have the necessary degrees or qualifications to be a head chef. As an added benefit, hiring within often boosts company morale because of two reasons: employees like the prospect of upward mobility and having room for growth, and hiring a known person within the company lessens the fears that can come with having a new boss. Use word-of-mouth advertising. Talk to your suppliers; they may know someone who is looking for a change. While this isn’t necessarily discreet, word-of-mouth can be one of the best ways to hire a chef. Post an ad online. Job posting websites are great for tossing a wide net to try and catch potential applicants. You can even post anonymous job listings called "blind ads" if you are looking to maintain discretion. By posting a blind ad, you gain the advantage of accessing a large pool of applicants without alerting current staff or competition. Chef Interview Questions After you have located a potential chef for your restaurant, you'll want to run interviews to ensure they are a good fit for your business. Here are some general interview questions for chefs when you're looking to find the right chef for your restaurant: How many years of experience do you have working in restaurants? Did you attend culinary school? If not, how did you receive training? Do you have management experience? If so, how many employees did you oversee? How do you like to run a kitchen? Give an example of how you handled a stressful situation at work in the past. What role do you believe a chef plays in relationship to the front of the house? What are your career goals? What do you do to continue improving your skills? Why do you want to leave your current position? Why are you interested in working here? You may want to ask additional questions that are specific to your restaurant. If you serve a cultural cuisine, ask the chef if they have any experience making your type of food. If your restaurant has an extensive wine list, ask the chef what their favorite wine is. You may even wish to ask them what their favorite entree on your menu is to ensure that they have interest in the food you’re serving. Chef Skills and Qualities to Look for When Hiring While they may have great cooking skills, not every candidate will hold the leadership skills necessary to run a successful kitchen. Here are some qualities of a chef to look for when interviewing applicants. Even temperament: Restaurants have days when everything goes wrong. How your chef reacts in these scenarios will play a part in how the rest of the staff responds. Having someone who is calm and collected under pressure will help keep your kitchen running smoothly on high-stress days. Ability to train staff: Experienced and qualified chefs should also be good educators and trainers. They are responsible for showing new hires the ropes. They know how to use all the restaurant's equipment and can teach a new employee how to properly use this equipment as well. Eye for quality: Chefs set the standard in a restaurant kitchen. Hire a chef that wants to put only the best food up for serving. Regardless of how great the ambiance, presentation, and atmosphere of your restaurant is, if the food is not prepared properly, the customer will have a negative impression of your restaurant. Attention to detail: On top of everything else, your chef is responsible for being detail-oriented. They write specials, contribute to menus, and need to read and order inventory correctly. Computer skills: Going hand-in-hand with attention to detail, chefs must have good computer skills. Proficiency in Excel spreadsheets will allow them to cost recipes and check menu profits. Also, knowing how to use social media would enable them to become a valuable part of the marketing process for your restaurant. Experience and shared philosophy: Having someone who graduated from a reputable culinary school or has many years of experience is fantastic! A chef should have experience and knowledge of the various culinary terms and techniques. However, a chef should have similar views as the owner on what qualifies as good customer service. What to Know Before You Replace Your Current Chef There are a few risks associated with hiring a new chef for your restaurant. Namely, your chef may decide to quit if they find out that you are trying to replace them. Here are some consequences that could come with your current chef quitting abruptly: Food quality deteriorates Preparation speed decreases Competitors capture your patrons as a result of your changed food quality and service speed Food waste costs may increase as a result of lower food quality and decreased preparation speed Sometimes it’s necessary for you to change your staff, but deciding to replace your chef should not be taken lightly. If it does not go smoothly, the transition period could cause serious repercussions for your restaurant’s bottom line and reputation. If possible, retain your current chef and help them become the employee your restaurant needs. A lot of time and effort goes into hiring a chef. Taking strides to show appreciation, giving incentives, or promoting your chef's name can go a long way in keeping that valuable employee on your payroll. By retaining your chef, it is possible to avoid the headaches and costs of trying to hire and train a replacement. Back to Top Hiring a new chef for your restaurant can make a large impact on the performance of your restaurant, positively or negatively. Make sure that you're prepared for the transition period by deciding how you'll go about your search, knowing what you're looking for in a candidate, and nailing down your interview questions ahead of time.
How to Become a Chef
Becoming a chef is a dream for many individuals with a passion for food and a desire to create culinary masterpieces. Regardless of whether you are just considering the start of your culinary journey or looking to advance your career in the food service industry, there are several steps you can take to become a chef. Below we’ll provide the most important information you need to know to become a chef, including exploring the requirements for becoming a chef, the various career paths available in the culinary industry, and the essential skills and qualities that can set you apart in this competitive field. Shop All Chef Clothing & Apparel Use these links to learn more about how to become a professional chef: What Skills Do You Need to Be a Chef? Chef Education Requirements What Does a Chef Do? How to Become a Chef FAQ What Skills Do You Need to Be a Chef? Becoming a chef requires a diverse skill set that goes beyond just knowing how to cook. To succeed in the culinary world, you must possess a combination of technical, professional, and business skills. Let's take a closer look at each of these skill categories: 1. Technical Skills These skills encompass a wide range of abilities, including knife skills, cooking techniques, and food preparation methods. A chef must be proficient in various cooking methods such as sauteing, braising, baking, and grilling. They should also have a deep understanding of food safety and sanitation practices to ensure the highest level of hygiene in the kitchen. 2. Professional Skills Professional skills a chef must possess include effective communication, teamwork, and time management. Chefs often work in high-pressure environments where clear and concise communication is crucial to ensure the smooth operation of the kitchen. They must also be able to collaborate with other kitchen staff and work as part of a team. Time management skills are essential to meet the demands of a busy kitchen, as chefs must multitask and prioritize tasks efficiently. 3. Business Skills Chefs need to have a good understanding of food costs, menu planning, and inventory management. They must be able to create menus that are not only delicious but also financially viable. Understanding the cost of ingredients and how to price a menu accordingly is essential to running a profitable kitchen. Chef Education Requirements Becoming a chef requires a combination of formal education and hands-on experience in the culinary arts. While there is no specific degree outside of a high school diploma or GED equivalent required to become a chef, most aspiring chefs choose to pursue a formal education in culinary arts to gain the necessary skills and knowledge. Also, depending on which type of chef you wish to become, education requirements may vary. We've listed the different types of ways you can gain a culinary education and learn the essential skills of the industry: Culinary School: Many chefs start their culinary journey by attending a culinary school or institute. These institutions offer a variety of options, including certificate programs, associate degrees, and bachelor's degrees in culinary arts. Culinary school programs typically cover fundamental cooking techniques, food safety and sanitation, nutrition, menu planning, and kitchen management. Students also have the opportunity to gain practical experience in a professional kitchen environment. On-the-Job Training In addition to formal education, hands-on experience is crucial for aspiring chefs. Many chefs start their careers by working in entry-level positions in restaurants or food service establishments. This allows them to learn the ropes of the kitchen, learn culinary terms, develop their cooking skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the industry. Through on-the-job training, aspiring chefs can work their way up to more advanced positions and eventually become executive chefs or sous chefs. Apprenticeships Another route to becoming a chef is through apprenticeships. Apprenticeships provide aspiring chefs with the opportunity to work alongside experienced chefs and learn the trade through practical training. Apprenticeships typically last for a few years and cover various aspects of culinary arts, including food preparation, cooking techniques, and kitchen management. This hands-on approach allows apprentices to develop their skills while also gaining valuable industry connections. What Does a Chef Do? A chef is a culinary professional who is responsible for overseeing the preparation and cooking of food in a commercial kitchen. They are skilled in various cooking techniques and have a deep understanding of flavor profiles, food safety, and kitchen management. Below we’ve listed some key responsibilities and tasks that a chef typically handles: Menu Planning - Chefs are responsible for creating and developing menus that suit the needs and preferences of their customers. They consider factors such as seasonal availability of ingredients, dietary restrictions, and food trends to curate a diverse and appealing menu. Food Preparation - Chefs are masters of their craft when it comes to food preparation. They are skilled in cutting, chopping, marinating, and seasoning ingredients to enhance their flavors. Chefs are also proficient in various cooking techniques such as sauteing, grilling, baking, frying, and braising. Recipe Development - Chefs are often responsible for creating new recipes or modifying existing ones to add their own unique twist. They experiment with different ingredients, flavors, and cooking methods to create innovative and delicious dishes that keep customers coming back for more. Food Presentation - Chefs pay great attention to food presentation and the visual appeal of their dishes. They understand the importance of plating techniques and use their creativity to present food in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This not only enhances the dining experience but also adds to the overall perception of the restaurant. Kitchen Management - Chefs are in charge of managing the kitchen staff, including sous chefs, line cooks, and prep cooks. They delegate tasks, ensure that the kitchen operates efficiently, and maintain a clean and organized work environment. They also oversee inventory management, ordering supplies, and maintaining equipment. How to Become a Chef FAQ Here are some of the most common questions relating to becoming a chef: How Much Does it Cost to Become a Chef? While the culinary industry offers exciting opportunities and the chance to work with food every day, it's important to understand the financial investment required to pursue this profession. Costs associated with becoming a chef include potential tuition expenses, supplies and equipment, learning materials, and certification costs. These costs vary based on factors such as location, personal preferences, and individual circumstances. While the financial investment required to become a chef may seem significant, consider the long-term career prospects and personal fulfillment that becoming a chef can offer. How Long Does It Take to Become a Chef? Becoming a chef is a journey that requires dedication, passion, and a commitment to honing your culinary skills. Culinary programs typically range from 6 months to 4 years in duration, depending on the level of education you wish to achieve. In addition to formal education, gaining hands-on experience in the kitchen is crucial to becoming a chef. Many aspiring chefs work in training for several years learning various techniques, understanding kitchen operations, and developing a strong culinary repertoire. Do You Need to Go to Culinary School to Be a Chef? While culinary school can provide aspiring chefs with valuable skills and knowledge, it is not necessarily a requirement to become a successful chef. Many renowned chefs have achieved their culinary prowess through hands-on experience and self-study. On-the-job training that teaches the valuable culinary skills required is another viable way to become a chef. Becoming a chef is a rewarding and fulfilling career choice for those looking to enter the culinary industry. Although the process of becoming a chef may require a lot of education and training, it provides a rewarding career and a great outlet for creativity. Following the correct steps and attaining the necessary skills when becoming a chef helps ensure you have a successful career in this competitive industry.