# Read the recipe and set everything out first

> Nothing goes on the heat until everything is out and ready.

## The essentials

Before you turn anything on, read the recipe once from start to finish. You will know how long it really takes, what needs to come out of the fridge, and whether a step has to wait, like a dough that rests or an oven that preheats. Then set everything out on the counter: the ingredients, weighed or cut, and the equipment. That is what cooks call the mise en place, and it is the difference between cooking calmly and running around while something burns.

## The one thing to know

Nothing goes on the heat until everything is out and ready.

## How to do it

1. Read the whole recipe, and spot the total time and the waiting times.
2. Check that you have everything, and note what is missing.
3. Take the ingredients out. Weigh, peel, cut, and put each one in a small bowl or on a corner of the board.
4. Take the equipment out: the pan, the pot, the spatula, the dish.
5. Preheat the oven if the recipe needs it. Only now, turn on the heat.

## How long it takes

Five to ten minutes at the start of a recipe, and you win them back while things cook.

## If it goes wrong

If you find out halfway that an ingredient is missing, look at the page "Adapt a recipe": there is almost always a simple swap. If you missed a step, turn off the heat, read again, and carry on.

## Make it tonight

The grandma-style bolognese sauce. Once everything is cut and out, all that is left is to brown, then let it simmer.

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Source : disheazy, https://disheazy.com/bases/read-the-recipe-and-set-everything-out-first