I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it.

— Todd English —

There is no doubt that Todd English runs an organized kitchen with that mindset. There are several areas that should be considered to make the art of cooking an organized process. These are:

1. Knowledge of the Food
2. Proper Tools
3. Prep Work
4. Cooking Techniques
5. Timing

Let's examine each of these areas:

Knowledge of the Food: When preparing food, you need to know something about it. Do special precautions need to be taken when cleaning the item? Do you plan on freezing it after the meal? How long can you cook it before it is overdone? If you are planning on serving a new recipe at a dinner party, then you will want to make a practice run to make sure you really like it and really understand how much work and time a dish takes. If you have ever watched the Food Channel, you know there is a science and a history to food, not just that something tastes good. The more you know about the food you are preparing, the better your cooking will be.

Proper Tools: Any endeavor requires proper tools, whether you are building a house, developing a computer program, or preparing your family’s meal. Dull knives and scratched pots will make your kitchen inefficient. At the minimum, to have an organized cooking process, you will need:

1. A set of good, sharp knives.
2. Bowls ranging in size from small prep bowls to large mixing bowls.
3. Pots and pans that are of varying sizes and good condition.
4. Basic cooking utensils as spoons (wooden, metal, and plastic), whisks, spatulas, timers, etc.
5. Measuring cups and spoons.
6. Food Processor. This may seem like an extra, but it makes life so much easier for cooking.

Past those essentials, you can collect tools that are associated with your family’s likes and your specialties. If you’re a baker, add a good mixer, cooling racks, and pastry blender. If breakfast is your thing, you’ll want a waffle iron and citrus press. If Asian cooking is your flare, get a rice cooker and wok. Don’t bother buying gadgets that you won’t use, but do invest in good ones that help your particular style of cooking. And be sure to keep directions for specialty tools. This summer you may be using your ice cream maker so much, you think that you’ll never forget how to use it. But once winter comes and it gets put on the back shelf and back out for the following summer, you may be scratching your head trying to remember what was the minimum time you needed the freezing bowl in the freezer.

Prep Work: By investing a little time in prep work, your cooking will be less harried and easier to control the timing. Several points will help you in your prep work:

1. Cut and measure as many products as possible before cooking and put them in small prep bowls. That way they are ready when you are.
2. Open cans and jars in advance. You don’t want to have a stuck jar lid at a critical cooking time.
3. In addition to your cutting board, have several cutting mats that go on top of your board. One mat can be used for meats, another for vegetables, another for spices and herbs. These can be thrown into the dishwasher and you are not wasting time by cleaning your cutting board after each type of product.
   
4. Be aware of which items need to be pre-chilled or brought to room temperature.. This can save a lot of time.
5. Have soapy water in your sink for hand washables to be thrown in and have your dishwasher door open to load as you finish with bowls and other utensils.
6. As you finish your prep work and various stages of cooking, put up as many items as possible so you have minimum cleanup later.

Cooking Techniques: Cooking is both an art and a science, and master cooks have developed various techniques from prep work to cooking to presentation. By knowing your foods, and how you want to prepare them, you can learn various techniques that maximizes your efficiency in the kitchen and the taste of your food. There are various ways of learning these techniques. Cooking shows on TV and DVDs are a great way to learn. Cooking magazines can also give tricks of the trade. Cooking schools and extended education classes at colleges give you great hands on experience and feedback as you learn.

Timing: This again relates to knowing your food – which foods need to be served right away, and which can wait on the side. Which foods cook up in minutes, and which are slow-cooked for eight hours. It also helps to have several timers, or at least one that allows you to set multiple times.  And make sure that the timers are loud enough that you can hear them in another room if you are out of the kitchen. You may wish to have warming trays, or chilled plates to keep items at their proper temperatures before serving.

By being aware and working with all of these stages of cooking, your work will be much easier and pleasant.

— Shelly —