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Mise en place (rhymes with “peas on moss”) is French for “everything in its place.” In culinary usage, the phrase likely made its debut around the turn of the 20th century, when famous chef Auguste Escoffier was developing the brigade system for running a commercial kitchen at London’s legendary Savoy Hotel.
While it may have been coined for pros expected to function with militaristic efficiency, the term has broad implications and has come to suggest anything that can bring order and, well, peace to the act of cooking. This includes but is not limited to reading the entire recipe before you start, double checking the pantry, prepping your ingredients, preheating the oven, unloading the dishwasher, clearing the mail off the kitchen counter, getting the kids’ roller skates off the floor, and convincing the dog not to nap in front of the oven.
For those who like to wing it, the principle may seem like a blow to spontaneity. But anyone who’s ever discovered mid-cake they had one too few eggs or ruined a complex stir-fry because ingredients weren’t ready when needed can appreciate the concept. Moreover, many cooks find that adhering to at least the spirit of the principle brings a sense of calm and dignity to the act of cooking, making it more meditation than madness.
—Jo Marshall
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A white powder with little taste of its own, MSG (monosodium glutamate) is one of the world’s most common food additives. Chemically speaking, it’s a sodium (salt) derived from glutamic acid (an amino acid, or protein). Commercially speaking, it’s a powerful flavor enhancer used in everything from canned soup to take-out chicken.
MSG began its ascent to ubiquity in 1908, when a Japanese chemist found it produced a savory flavor, distinct from the sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes recognized by gourmands of the time. He dubbed the flavor umami, Japanese for “delicious.” (Rich, natural sources of umami-producing glutamates range from cheese to mushrooms.) He further noted that a sea vegetable Japanese cooks had used for centuries was particularly rich in the stuff. Boom! Scientists went to work to extract it, and a multinational industry was born.
While the FDA maintains that MSG is perfectly safe when consumed at typical levels, opponents blame it for maladies ranging from ADHD to Alzheimer’s. If you suspect you might be sensitive, avoiding it practically requires a PhD in chemistry: MSG is a major component in a long list of additives with such sexy names as hydrolyzed protein and autolyzed yeast.
Interestingly, the health risks of MSG came to light only after major food processors found ways to extract it cheaply. Japanese cooks had used sea vegetables for years with no apparent health problems, and one of the first published reports of “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” came from a Chinese immigrant who first experienced symptoms after moving to the United States.
—Jo Marshall
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