These Tiny Mise En Place Bowls Are a Meal-Prep Wonder
Before I went to culinary school, I took “cooking up a storm” quite literally. That is to say, my kitchen almost always looked like a hurricane had blown through it by the time dinner was served.
Then my late professor Chef Pergl taught me the importance of mise en place—a French culinary term for putting everything in its place or gathering items together—and it’s since spared me many messes, whether on the job in professional kitchens or when cooking at home.
Mise en place is a simple concept to master—all you have to do is prep before you start cooking. I like to think of it as running through a checklist, where each ingredient is accounted for, properly portioned, and adequately prepped, to reduce the risk of errors and to streamline making a recipe.
For example, I’ll mince a teaspoon of garlic, chiffonade 2 tablespoons of basil, and finely chop a shallot, and then I’ll set each aside in individual containers before combining them, per the steps in a recipe.
Although being an organized cook isn’t an innate skill of mine, I’ve honed it thanks in part to these cute little meal-prepping bowls.
Staff pick
One of the keys to mastering the mise en place technique is ensuring you have the adequate tools—most importantly, the proper containers to house all of the ready-to-go ingredients.
Deli containers of varying sizes (measured in ounces but typically referred to by the imperial system, such as a quart or pint container) or stainless steel hotel pans are the restaurant-industry standards. However, when I am cooking at home for my family (and not an entire dining room of hungry guests), I prefer using my beloved Libbey Small Glass Bowls with Lids.
These small, durable, 6.25-ounce prep bowls come in a pack of eight and are dishwasher-safe. They’re big enough to hold about ¾ cup of prepped ingredients, ideal for four to six servings. They also have removable lids (that are also dishwasher-safe), which make it simple to store surplus food in a cupboard or the refrigerator.
These stackable bowls don’t take up much room in my cupboards, and when stacked in groups of three or four, they are small enough to fit in my kitchen drawers. I also like that I can conveniently see what’s inside each bowl when they’re stacked in the fridge, since they’re made of clear glass; this wouldn’t be possible with opaque stainless steel bowls or hotel pans.
The lids were the primary selling point for me. I searched long and hard for the perfect set of prep bowls, and these Libbey bowls were the definitive choice. The lids make it easy to store foods directly in the containers—unlike other ramekins I’ve had that required plastic wrap or aluminum to cover them.
I also use these bowls for more than just mise en place. They’re the perfect size for portioning a small snack, laying out a selection of toppings for an ice cream sundae bar, and even feeding my cat a bonus treat when she isn’t terrorizing us. I always keep one filled with kosher salt so I can easily dip into it while cooking. Not to mention that these mini prep bowls are much more handsome than plastic deli containers, so they can double as cute little serving bowls when company is over.
Although deli containers are affordable, I much prefer the mini glass prep bowls because they help me cut back on plastic use, and they are much more durable. Deli containers also tend to warp over time (especially when exposed to heat), and they can become discolored or take on odors from potent ingredients. My sturdy glass bowls look as good as new after two years of daily use and hundreds of rounds in the dishwasher.
The only limitation I’ve found when using these bowls is that they’re rather small and not ideal for undertaking mass culinary events, like Thanksgiving dinner for a party of 20. In those cases, it’s all hands on deck, and I will enlist the help of just about every size food-storage container in my kitchen to create my mise en place on a larger scale.
I still love these tiny bowls. I’ve found them especially useful when I’m juggling several cooking tasks or preparing a more complicated recipe with tons of steps and ingredients. Not to mention that they make cleaning up as I go—a cardinal rule in a professional kitchen—a breeze, since ingredients aren’t sprawled out all over the place.
I think my culinary professor would approve of my organized workstation and more-efficient meal-prepping abilities, thanks to his teachings—and to these mini bowls.
This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.
Before I went to culinary school, I took “cooking up a storm” quite literally. That is to say, my kitchen almost always looked like a hurricane had blown through it by the time dinner was served.
Then my late professor Chef Pergl taught me the importance of mise en place—a French culinary term for putting everything in its place or gathering items together—and it’s since spared me many messes, whether on the job in professional kitchens or when cooking at home.
Mise en place is a simple concept to master—all you have to do is prep before you start cooking. I like to think of it as running through a checklist, where each ingredient is accounted for, properly portioned, and adequately prepped, to reduce the risk of errors and to streamline making a recipe.
For example, I’ll mince a teaspoon of garlic, chiffonade 2 tablespoons of basil, and finely chop a shallot, and then I’ll set each aside in individual containers before combining them, per the steps in a recipe.
Although being an organized cook isn’t an innate skill of mine, I’ve honed it thanks in part to these cute little meal-prepping bowls.
Staff pick
One of the keys to mastering the mise en place technique is ensuring you have the adequate tools—most importantly, the proper containers to house all of the ready-to-go ingredients.
Deli containers of varying sizes (measured in ounces but typically referred to by the imperial system, such as a quart or pint container) or stainless steel hotel pans are the restaurant-industry standards. However, when I am cooking at home for my family (and not an entire dining room of hungry guests), I prefer using my beloved Libbey Small Glass Bowls with Lids.
These small, durable, 6.25-ounce prep bowls come in a pack of eight and are dishwasher-safe. They’re big enough to hold about ¾ cup of prepped ingredients, ideal for four to six servings. They also have removable lids (that are also dishwasher-safe), which make it simple to store surplus food in a cupboard or the refrigerator.
These stackable bowls don’t take up much room in my cupboards, and when stacked in groups of three or four, they are small enough to fit in my kitchen drawers. I also like that I can conveniently see what’s inside each bowl when they’re stacked in the fridge, since they’re made of clear glass; this wouldn’t be possible with opaque stainless steel bowls or hotel pans.
The lids were the primary selling point for me. I searched long and hard for the perfect set of prep bowls, and these Libbey bowls were the definitive choice. The lids make it easy to store foods directly in the containers—unlike other ramekins I’ve had that required plastic wrap or aluminum to cover them.
I also use these bowls for more than just mise en place. They’re the perfect size for portioning a small snack, laying out a selection of toppings for an ice cream sundae bar, and even feeding my cat a bonus treat when she isn’t terrorizing us. I always keep one filled with kosher salt so I can easily dip into it while cooking. Not to mention that these mini prep bowls are much more handsome than plastic deli containers, so they can double as cute little serving bowls when company is over.
Although deli containers are affordable, I much prefer the mini glass prep bowls because they help me cut back on plastic use, and they are much more durable. Deli containers also tend to warp over time (especially when exposed to heat), and they can become discolored or take on odors from potent ingredients. My sturdy glass bowls look as good as new after two years of daily use and hundreds of rounds in the dishwasher.
The only limitation I’ve found when using these bowls is that they’re rather small and not ideal for undertaking mass culinary events, like Thanksgiving dinner for a party of 20. In those cases, it’s all hands on deck, and I will enlist the help of just about every size food-storage container in my kitchen to create my mise en place on a larger scale.
I still love these tiny bowls. I’ve found them especially useful when I’m juggling several cooking tasks or preparing a more complicated recipe with tons of steps and ingredients. Not to mention that they make cleaning up as I go—a cardinal rule in a professional kitchen—a breeze, since ingredients aren’t sprawled out all over the place.
I think my culinary professor would approve of my organized workstation and more-efficient meal-prepping abilities, thanks to his teachings—and to these mini bowls.
This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.
These Tiny Mise En Place Bowls Are a Meal-Prep Wonder
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