Overheard a line cook say mise en place is overrated

I was grabbing takeout from a new spot downtown last week and heard one of the line cooks telling a server he thinks mise en place is just for people who can't work fast. I stood there for a second thinking about it. Like yeah, I get the idea of being fast on the fly but without prepped stuff ready to go my station would be a disaster in 5 minutes. Has anyone else ever worked with a cook who skips the prep and actually makes it work?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_thea26d ago

Is mise en place just a crutch for cooks who haven't learned how to think on their feet?

janah8326d ago

Wait hold on... you think mise en place is a CRUTCH? That's like saying a seatbelt is a crutch for drivers who haven't learned how to crash properly. If I'm slamming out tickets on a Friday night and someone's onion isn't prepped, that's a whole ticket dying while I scramble for a knife. It's not about not thinking on your feet, it's about being smart enough to not have to think about basic stuff when the heat is on. You want to work clean and fast, not reinvent the wheel every time a ticket pops.

jade_jenkins26d ago

Right? Calling mise en place a crutch is wild. It's like saying a chef's knife is a crutch for cooks who can't tear herbs with their bare hands. Try rolling out a Friday night fish fry without your onions and celery prepped, see how fast you're standing in the walk-in crying while your ticket times hit the red zone. It's not about being rigid, it's about being ready. If you want to constantly improvise, go work a food truck.

skyler_jackson2726d ago

Honestly, isn't that kind of like saying a backup quarterback is a crutch for a starter who can't handle a sack? Mise en place isn't about avoiding thinking on your feet, it's about freeing up your brain for the real problems that pop up during a rush. Tbh, I'd rather have my prep done and not need it than be stuck peeling garlic while my fish burns.