Just curious -- For most recipes, does anyone measure all the ingredients first?

For pasta dishes, stir fries and main dishes with several ingredients I usually

do the whole mise en place thing, when I don't, the process seems to take longer and I end up with a lot of stuff to clean up and put away. I just realized I never do the prep when baking the very few things I bake, I definitely should, I think it would go faster.

I'm curious to see what some of our great cooks do.

 
oops. that should be WITH my hands or fingers.

hmmmm, this recipe calls for a cup and a half of fingers.

 
I'm with you, Marilyn, except I find myself doing the prep ahead of time more and more.

But I do still feel somewhat self-satisfied and over confident when I prep ahead.

Or, does "mise en place" mean you're "miserable, and put in your place"?

Oy.

Michael

 
Well, when I can stop laugh at the image of rvb measuring hands and fingers, o.k. I am calmer, hehe-

At work, I pretty much do my prep for the day while serving breakfast. Breakfast is "to order" and spread out over 1 1/2 hours.
I chop stuff for soup and salad and the main dishes and prep salad greens.
I usually am baking cookies at this time.
I actually don't see the need to measure for baked goods as most of the time they go right in the bowl.
Depending on what dinner desserts are they usually get baked during lunch service.

take a break and then bake dinner bread and finish off dinner preperation.

That crazy busy start to the day makes for a pleasant afternoon.

At home only prep as I cook, no room to put anything!!

Nan

 
For cooking on the stovetop, I measure ahead. For baking, mostly as I go. If anything needs

chopping or other prep, that's always done ahead. Then I can concentrate on the cooking without rushing to catch up with the next step.

 
When I work like Nan does, in a small galley, I also do most of the days....

prep and baking when doing breakfast, gives me time to go snorkeling or what-ever in the afternoon.
I seldom make bread for dinner.

If I am entertaining a large group at home (10 or more)and I have a lot of dishes going at the same time, I start in the morning by setting up stations and measuring it all out at the stations, helps it all go smoothly.
Oh, yes,
I set a small styrofoam box at the stations that need soft fridge stuff, such as butter, cream etc and then I don't go into the fridge so often.

It is hot in my kitchen and it is also open to the house and outdoors.

 
Our kitchen is soooo tiny, there is no room to do this. Besides, it's always a mystery

as to how far I'll get before I realize that I'm out of or nearly out of a key ingredient because someone put away an empty package smileys/smile.gif

 
I usually measure stuff first. so I don't forget an ingredient.

But I'm overly-obsessive about stuff like that. Plus, I just like the look of the herbs (or whatever) in my little clear bowls. Makes me feel like a real cook. smileys/wink.gif

 
When I bake, I measure as I go, but I do pull everything out of the pantry and the fridge first.

I kinda do the Rachael Ray thing, where I grab as many things as my arms will hold, and set it down on the counter.

If I forget something, it'll usually jog my memory when I go to put it away, as in "Did I add this baking soda.....?

Same thing when I cook - I'll chop everything at once, and set them in little piles around the cutting board, so that once I start to cook, I don't have to stop. (Very important when stir-frying!)

Can't be bothered with all the little mis en place dishes - I don't have a dishwasher, and have to handwash everything smileys/smile.gif

 
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