Anthony Bourdain, Mise en Place and Presentation: What it Takes to be a Restaurant Chef.

     Yesterday, I rented a DVD of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and I saw the episode Into the Fire NY. When I saw it, I really thought about what life would be like into the kitchen. During the episode, Anthony was telling everyone about how you need stamina to survive in a professional kitchen and he was not kidding. When he was rushing everywhere in the kitchen and bending every 5 minutes, I realize that I need to get into shape and practice timing of how to grab what for each recipe. So now, when I cook, I'm going to use more of something that most chefs call a mise en place.

      For people who don't know, a "mise en place" is a French term meaning everything is in place and its one of the most important tools in the culinary arts. Its a plan that shows where everything is, how the rotation of what ingredients needs to be cooked and who is doing what. Its a little confusing at first but the key thing to make a mise en place more effective is to know what job you need to do and make sure that everyone is doing their job right.

    On that note, I'm also reading the book, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdains work. If you don't know who Anthony Bourdain is, he is a former chef, author and travel show host who has been every where from Europe to America to Asia and everything in between. To me, he is a grand master of cooking and travel. (My two favorite things in the whole world.) So anyway, when I read the book, I also learned that at some culinary school have restaurants where everyone can see the students and if you mess up you could get yelled at and embarrassed in front of everyone but I think there is a reason for that. One reason I could think of is that cooking is not only about the end product but how the person presents it in a certain sequence. Its almost like a play, you show your work with a little performers touch of how you prepare the food. Say that you are preparing a buffet for a party and the guests are about to arrive. What you do then is to send in the food gracefully and present the food with a welcoming attitude. If you present your food like actors in a play, they really seem more appealing then it appears and taste better.

    On the same subject on hand, here is today's tip.  

       Tip: When presenting a meal, try to present it like a performer. Try to keep it a surprise for your guest. They will be impressed if you do.

   So that's all for now and before I go, I have a question for you readers. Who is your favorite chef and what wold you make with him/her? Leave a comment if you want to answer.