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Cooking encyclopedia Habits worth keeping

Get everything ready first

Also called mise en place

The habit that makes fast cooking possible and slow cooking calmer.

What it is

Read the whole recipe. Prepare and arrange everything in the order it will be used before you light the heat.

Why it works

Most kitchen failures are timing failures: something burnt while something else was being chopped. Techniques with no slack at all โ€” stir-frying, blooming spices, emulsifying โ€” are not difficult so much as unforgiving of interruption.

When to use it

Every dish, and non-negotiable for anything that moves quickly.

What goes wrong

Starting to cook while still reading; discovering a missing ingredient at the point of no return; chopping the garnish while the sauce splits.

Meridian cooking encyclopedia โ€” Watchman Productions

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