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Working a pop-up in Denver taught me to prep my station differently
I was doing a one-night pop-up at a brewery in Denver last month, and the kitchen was basically a closet. I had my usual setup, but when the first rush hit, I was drowning. The guy running the grill next to me, who did these all the time, saw me struggling. He leaned over and said, 'You brought your restaurant mise. You need your pop-up mise.' He showed me how he had everything for each dish in a single hotel pan, stacked and ready to grab, instead of my neat rows of individual containers. It cut my plate time in half. I've used that single-pan method for every catering gig since. How do you guys adjust your prep for a tiny or unfamiliar kitchen space?
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annas871mo ago
Totally get that. I used to be so proud of my perfect little containers all lined up. Felt like a real pro. Then I tried doing a friend's wedding in a home kitchen and it was a total disaster. Everything was just in the way. Now I pack for the space, not for the look. A single deep pan for each recipe is a game changer for sure. You just pull out one thing and you have the whole dish right there.
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william_henderson1mo ago
Your restaurant mise vs. pop-up mise" is the realest advice. I learned the same thing the hard way at a farmers market. I had all my sauces in those little squeeze bottles, and it was a mess. Now for tight spaces, I just use deli containers with lids I can stack and grab. One container holds the whole garnish setup for a dish.
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kim8191mo ago
Is it just me or does anyone else feel like the stacking thing can get out of hand too though? I tried that deli container method and ended up with a tower that kept wobbling every time I reached for something. I actually prefer a few wide, shallow hotel pans for tight spaces. You can see everything at once instead of digging through a stack. Plus if you're doing a pop-up, the last thing you want is a container avalanche when you're already in the weeds.
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