Cook

Cooks prepare fresh vegetables, season, and cook a wide range of foods, such as soups, salads, entrees, and desserts. More experienced cooks participate in planning and coordinating food preparation, training and leading personnel. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Cooks typically do the following:

• Check freshness of food and ingredients before cooking
• Wash and prepare fruits and vegetables
• Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes
• Prepare meats and fish in various ways
• Bake, roast, grill, broil, or fry meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods
• Boil and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods
• Garnish, arrange, and serve food
• Test food by tasting, smelling or piercing to determine that it is cooked-through
• Maintain proper temperatures for hot and cold foods
• Apportion servings according to menu combinations or orders
• Provide assistance with tray set-up, salad preparation, and procuring food from refrigerator, freezer or other storage areas, etc.
• Cook, hold, and store food or food ingredients
• Clean work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, and silverware
• Assist with ordering meat, poultry and fish for use in meal preparation
• All other duties as assigned
• Follow all required safety and standard operating procedures
• Adhere to all company and regulatory policies, procedures and standards

Work Environment and Physical Demands

Kitchens are usually hot, crowded, and filled with potential dangers. Cooks must stand for a long period of time and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.  Although the work is generally not dangerous, hazards include slips, falls, cuts from sharp knives, and burns from hot ovens.

Training

Many cooks obtain their skills through work-related experience. They typically start as a kitchen helper or food preparation worker and progress into a cooking position. Some learn by working under the guidance of a more experienced cook.

Independent and vocational cooking schools and college degree programs also provide training for aspiring cooks. Programs generally last from a few months to 2 years or more. Many offer training in advanced cooking techniques, international cuisines, and cooking styles.

Advancement

Advancement opportunities are often limited to those who remain on the job for a long period of time. After gaining experience, some cooks advance to more responsibilities at higher levels.

 Types of Cooks and Advancement

Large food service establishments tend to have varied menus and large kitchen staffs. Teams of restaurant cooks, sometimes called assistant or line cooks, work at assigned stations equipped with the necessary types of stoves, grills, pans, and ingredients. These cooks are considered Cook III or Food Preparation Workers.

Job titles often reflect the principal ingredient cooks prepare or the type of cooking they do—

Cook II: Vegetable cook, fry cook, or grill cook usually work under the direction or supervision of chefs, head cooks, or food service managers.

Depending on the type of eating place, cooks use a variety of kitchen equipment, including broilers, grills, slicers, grinders, and blenders.  The responsibilities of cooks vary depending on where they work, the size of the facility, and the complexity and level of service offered. 

Cook I: Cafeteria cooks work in the kitchens of cafeterias, hotels, buffets, and other institutions. For each meal, they prepare a large quantity of a limited number of entrees, vegetables, and desserts, according to preset menus. Because meals generally are prepared in advance, cooks seldom prepare special orders.

Restaurant cooks usually prepare a wide selection of dishes and cook most orders individually. Some restaurant cooks may order supplies, set menu prices, and plan the daily menu.

Skills and Specialized Knowledge

Comprehension. Cooks must be able to understand customers’ orders and or planned menus and to read recipes to prepare dishes correctly.

Customer-service skills. Restaurant and short-order cooks must be able to deal with customer complaints and special requests.

Manual dexterity. Cooks should have excellent hand-eye coordination. For example, they need to know the proper knife techniques for cutting, chopping, and dicing.

Sense of taste and smell. All cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare food that customers enjoy.

Stamina. The work of a cook can be physically tiring. They must spend a lot of time standing, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas.  

Teamwork. Cooks often prepare only part of a dish. They must coordinate with other cooks and food workers.

To perform the job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Must meet company and client hire requirements
• Adequate experience to go beyond the organizational expectations regarding standards
• Acquaintance with usage of both manual and automatic tools used for cooking and cleaning
• Reliable and skilled at performing the cleaning duties
• Must be physically fit enough to lift, bend, twist, stoop and climb and carry at least 40 lbs., as well as be able to stand and walk over extensive time periods
• Can lift weight of 35 lbs. with no trouble
• Able to read and comprehend simple instructions and short correspondence
• Able to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations
• Able to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions
• Must meet company and client grooming standards
• Must wear slip resistant shoes to avoid slips and falls
• Must have reliable transportation

Education and Experience

• Cook I:  3 Years experience in quantity food preparation
• Cook II:  1-2 Years experience in quantity food preparation
• High School Diploma
• Licenses and Certification preferred for mid-high level cook positions
• Cook III:  6 Months – 1 year experience in quantity food preparation
• High school diploma or GED preferred by not required for entry level jobs
• Food handlers permit if required per state regulations
• Food Safety Certification preferred and if required

Work Schedule

Must be able to work a flexible schedule that includes days, nights, weekends and holidays

Report to work on schedule dates and time and maintain a responsible attendance record

Rewards

• Competitive pay
• Eligible to participate in the health benefit program
• Upward career growth
• The opportunity to play an integral role in the growth of the business.