Hopefully you'll be doing plenty of cooking and eating this holiday season – I know I will. Whether recipes are simple or complex, I have one tip that helps me avoid common cooking mistakes like forgetting an ingredient or a step in the process.

Mise en Place

That's a snooty French phrase that means 'put in place'. In practice, mise en place is just your batch of ready-to-go ingredients for whatever you're cooking. All chopped, all mixed, all prepared for when the cooking begins. As in, you get it all set before the first ingredient hits the pan.

It doesn't sound like much, but I find it makes the whole thing so smooth for two reasons. First, if you've been thinking about your mise en place, then you probably read carefully through the whole recipe, and you're less likely to miss a step or ingredient somewhere. Second, when everything is all set to go, you avoid those hectic moments when the last ingredient has gone in the pan and you realize you've only got 3 minutes to dice 10 onions or whatever. When it's already done you can relax, take your time with the recipe.

Happy Holidays!