Prep Cook Description
The job of a prep cook allows a restaurant worker to gain the necessary experience to become a chef or full-time cook in a restaurant. As an entry-level employee, the prep cook essentially serves an apprenticeship to the chef. The job pays low wages, but experience and advancement up the restaurant ladder allows the prep cook better employment and salary opportunities.
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Duties
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A prep cook job can be a pressure-filled experience, especially during peak lunch and dinnertime periods when the kitchen is chaotic but the prep cook is being taught the art of cooking. The prep cook assists the chef in preparing meals. The employee makes salads, chops vegetables and assembles the entrees. There are few cooking opportunities. The prep cook also learns how to identify and use kitchen utensils and tools and must become adept to using vegetable grinders and chopping knives. Kitchen maintenance, cleanup, food storage and emptying rubbish are part of the job, according to Hcareers.com. The prep cook rarely ventures into the dining room.
Education
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There are no specific education requirements for a prep cook. A high school diploma is generally not required. Prep cooks who aspire to be a chef should consider community college or vocational school coursework in food safety and kitchen basics. Jobs are competitive and graduation from culinary school can give a prep cook candidate an edge in obtaining a job.
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Requirements and Skills
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Prep cooks must be quick, have the ability to multitask and have an eye for detail. Cutting and chopping are primary duties of a prep cook and requires a measure of skill and dexterity to avoid injury. Attention to personal hygiene is essential.
An acute sense of smell and taste must be developed. Prep cooks must not have communicable diseases. Competent reading and writing skills are necessary to take inventory and read and accept food manifests from vendors. The ability to discern if food is spoiled or unfit for consumption is also necessary. Prep cooks also work in nursing facilities and may be required to have experience dealing with older people.
Work Environment
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A restaurant kitchen his noisy, chaotic and can alternate between hot in front of the grill and cold in the walk-in freezer. The kitchen can be crowded with dishwashers, serving staff, supervisors and busboys. Navigating the kitchen without colliding with coworkers and understanding each worker’s job duties are essential. Workdays can begin as early as 5 a.m. Working lunch and dinner shifts also is required. Many restaurants require restaurant employees to work split shifts: four hours for lunch, time off and then four hours for dinner.
Salary
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Since the job of a prep cook is generally considered on-the-job training, the salary is low. Prep cooks can earn a starting hourly rate of about $8, according to 2010 job postings. Annual salaries range between $17,000 and $20,000.
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References
- Photo Credit cook work image by Alexander Zhiltsov from Fotolia.com
