Mise en place: cooking without the scramble

Mise en place is just a habit: gather, measure, and place everything before the first onion hits the pan. It is how we keep weeknight cooking calm.

Read the whole recipe first, including the notes. Preheat the oven, then chop, measure, and line up bowls in the order you will use them.

Group ingredients that go in together — dry mix in one bowl, wet in another. Put trash and compost within reach so the board stays clear.

When the cooking starts, you should only be stirring, tasting, and watching. That is when good timing happens.