The Importance of Mise en Place

One of the most difficult culinary disciplines I had to train myself to embrace about cooking was 'mise en place'.  The French term means, simply, "everything in place".  In the context of preparing a meal, it means that you have your ingredients measured, chopped, and readily available in your cooking area prior to firing up the stove or pre-heating the oven.

The photo below illustrates a mise en place assembled prior to my execution of smoked salmon chowder (recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/smoked-salmon-chowder/Detail.aspx).  I do try to keep in mind what foods will discolor the quickest due to rapid oxidation; for example, I'd recommend chopping the potatoes lastly for this recipe to avoid their turning rust-colored and destroying the visual appeal of the dish.

A mise en place can make all the difference between an enjoyable, almost leisurely cooking experience- and hectic chaos if the recipe is cooked at the same time as the ingredient preparation.  It's a fancy term for a simple approach that will help you enjoy the art of cooking!