Part 1 // Mise en Place
is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place”
… often abbreviated as “mise” by chefs.
Anyone who cooks can tell you that a bit of planning and prep can save you a whole lot of time, frustration, and meals going up in literal flames. Devoting brain space to planning will set you up for some version of success, whether it’s cooking dinner or, you know, writing a cookbook. Insert pithy quote on failing to plan means planning to fail here. :D
Here are the tools I’m using as I plan the first stages of my cookbook project!
Tools Mise
I <3 Evernote
My best ideas find me when I’m staring blankly into the abyss on the metro or just as I am about to fall asleep at night. Evernote enables me to very quickly capture these fleeting thoughts, questions, musings, and ideas until the next time I sit down and corral them into my vomit draft (the draft that exists before the rough draft).
This is the number one reason I use this app.
As someone who has lost ideas/trains of thought because, ‘I’ll write it down in a minute’ (and also bc things don’t work quite as well after 30), I’ve been purposeful in creating a “second brain” to free up processing speeds in my, you know, brain brain. If something’s not in my brain, then at least I know where to find it.
(Aside: I’ve tried OneNote and Apple’s iOS Notes, but OneNote was too cumbersome to quickly add notes on mobile and iOS notes doesn’t have the file structure I want.)
GoogleDrive #ILoveSpreadsheets
Here resides my precioussss. I mean, *ahem*, my spreadsheets. Right now, I’ve got spreadsheets for:
Project Timeline - It’s through August 2022 at the moment. Yikes.
Master Reading List - Books, articles, etc. for background research
Tracking social media and newsletter data - I do this *maybe* once a month, otherwise I overthink why I lost 2 followers on Instagram last Thursday (which ends up being a total waste of my time and brain space). I accept I am not for everyone and I don’t want to be.
Evaluating published cookbooks - What cookbooks exists? What works? What doesn’t? How many recipes does it contain? What level of cooking skills are needed to cook from this book? etc. Here is a peek into the cookbook eval tool:
Also, I may or may not have just purchased this shirt. :D
Evernote and Google Drive are my main tools since I want to keep the planning stage as simple as possible. I have a tendency to get distracted by all the shiny, new planning tools FB ads wants me to try. There is such a thing as too much planning and not enough doing. Speaking from experience here!
In Part Two // Mise en Place, I’ll share more about my recipe (pun totally intended) to write my cookbook proposal (cue scary music).
Got a question or want to say hi? Hit ‘reply’ to send me an email. I love hearing from my readers!
加油!
Marsha
@princesshungry
PS: Last week I mentioned the book, The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.
It’s only $1.99 for the Kindle edition right now!
This Week’s Specials
Here are my top 5 faveee food, writing, or food-writing pieces for the week. Occasional basketball or yoga appearances.
FAKE GUACAMOLE IS HERE. THE SECRET TAQUERIAS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT AND HOW TO SPOT IT by Javier Cabral
Um, what? Also, the faux-guac recipe is included at the end of the article. Might have to trick my next dinner guests. I mean, test it out on my next dinner guests.
How Asian Americans Use Kitchen Gardens To Reclaim Their Heritage by Alana Dao
“For many Asian immigrants and refugees all over the United States, and probably the world, it’s a way of regaining control over one’s diet, preserving one’s culture and growing food that reflects it.”
Here’s what Chinese takeout menus can teach us about immigration by Dolly Li
A thought-provoking piece about the history of Chinese migration in the U.S., including a 3-part video series about the Chinese diaspora in San Francisco, the Mississippi Delta, and L.A. Interning at a museum has me thinking a lot about material objects (like menus!) and the stories they tell.
Our Updated, Not-So-Secret List of "Banned" Words by Miranda Caplan, Senior Editor at Serious Eats
For anyone thinking deeply about words and word choice. (Also, when looking for a recipe, does anyone else google, ‘_____ dish serious eats’? Serious Eats is my first stop when I’m cooking something new, ya’ll. Now you know.)
How I Write High-Performing Recipes for Food52.com by Emma Laperruque
Thoughtful considerations when approaching recipe writing for an audience larger than yourself.