Since 1969, Cracker Barrel has been serving country-style food, as well as selling products in their country stores. Prep cooks at Cracker Barrel help the kitchen run smoothly, by beginning the cooking process the right way.
Cooks employed at preschools and daycare centers are ultimately responsible for maintaining full oversight over their institution's food program in all of its various aspects, including meal preparation, hygiene, food distribution to classrooms, and sanitation. Cooks work under general supervision while ensuring compliance with all existing public-health regulations and child-care food guidelines. Additionally, cooks are charged with creating and maintaining all food-related purchasing and inventory records.
A lead cook, also commonly referred to as a head cook, supervises other cooks and kitchen helpers in a retail or commercial food preparation environment. He is normally the cook with the most experience. Besides directing his staff, he typically prepares most of the entrees and assists as necessary in preparing other dishes.
A tandoor is a clay oven that is commonly used in Northern India, specifically the region of Punjab. A tandoori cook uses this type of oven for cooking northern Indian cuisine. The cook uses the tandoor oven to bake food such as meats and breads like naan over a smoky fire.
Many people like to top off a great meal with an even greater desert. A pastry cook, also known as a "patissier," is a culinary professional who specializes in preparing succulent, sweet, end-of-meal treats. The job description for a pastry cook reveals how these chefs compare to other chefs and what a person needs to do to embark on a pastry cook career.
Cook's helpers work alongside the cook and kitchen staff in hotels, restaurants, catering businesses, cafeterias or anywhere food is prepared and served. The helper is expected to have a general knowledge of kitchen sanitation, as well as food preparation methods. Duties include preparing food for guests, ordering food, cleaning kitchen equipment, training new employees, and learning and executing new recipes. If the helper works in a larger cooking facility, the duties may increase and include assisting servers with food distribution.
A week or a whole summer at camp is filled with memories, and many of those memories involve food. The camp cook ensures that campers and staff have the food they need, whether it is marshmallows and chocolate to make s'mores over the campfire, or hot dogs to grill by the beach or a nutritious breakfast before a day of activities.
Many individuals interested in the culinary arts decide to work as hotel chefs. Through this profession, they are able to prepare meals for hotel restaurants, room service or breakfast buffets. They are able to work in a professional kitchen and prepare food without all of the stress of a restaurant, where survival as a business is based upon the quality and taste of the food the chef prepares.
Considered on the bottom rung of the food business, fry cooks are responsible for preparing hamburgers and other fast food meals. They keep the food flowing in the $120 billion fast food industry. Many gained their first experience in the work world manning the grill and fryer. Fry cooks also work at restaurants, bars and other places, where the cooking is relatively simple.
Dietary cooks primarily work in the health care industry in a hospital or institution where food and nutrition is strictly monitored for the welfare of the patient. Some dietary cooks work in other types of health and wellness fields, such as spas and retreats, where highly nutritious and healthy meals are part of the service with added flexibility required of the cook staff to attend to the particular dietary needs of the guests.
The main business of any restaurant is providing the highest quality of food possible to keep the customers satisfied. This effort is completely dependent on the kitchen staff and how proficient they are in making the dishes that the restaurant offers. Key members of that staff include the food preparers known as prep cooks, who "set the table" for the chefs and line cooks.
Many of the duties of the banquet cook are similar to line cooks in a restaurant except when it comes down to actual service. While in-house restaurant cooks make food to order often in rapid succession, banquet cooks primarily serve food already made, although they will occasionally create food to order. Banquet cooks often work directly with the public, which requires stamina, creativity and a pleasant demeanor.
A breakfast cook may cook everything from baked beans to french toast, but there are some general expectations of a breakfast cook that apply to all breakfast cooking jobs. Some of the skills and experience necessary to secure such a job will vary by employer.
A pantry cook, sometimes called a garde manger or a salad station line cook, is responsible for the cold appetizers and dishes that come off a restaurant line. The pantry cook is often the entry level position on the kitchen line; from here, cooks can work up to hot stations, lead line cook or eventually sous chef. According to Payscale.com, pantry cooks average $9 to $11 per hour in 2010.
Ready-to-serve cooks are the "mis en place" of the restaurant industry. The French phrase means "everything is in place." Energetic individuals looking for an interesting, fast-paced, rewarding career can enter this exciting field. Ready-to-serve cooks earn between $19,602 to $32,626 a year estimates cbsalary.com.
Sometimes private chefs work for single employers like working in a family's household, according to the hospitality website Hcareers. If a chef cannot find a single employer that pays them enough money, they will work for multiple private employers. For example, a personal cook may work for one family during the week and another family on weekends. Other times a personal chef will work on a yacht or private jet.
The job of a cook and chef involves many phases of the food preparation process, from purchasing and storing ingredient, to designing and executing menus. Even though every professional cook or chef position will probably not include every one of these responsibilities, it is useful for a food-service professional to know them to have a comprehensive perspective of the process of preparing and serving meals.
Grabbing a burger somewhere is popular with many people, but very often little thought is given to the person who prepares it: the fast food cook. For people working this job, it can be an after school job or the stepping stone into a career in the food service industry.
Domestic cooks, unlike professional chefs in commercial kitchens, needn't have fancy degrees from culinary schools to do their jobs and get hired. But they do often share many similar responsibilities.
A day care cook can be a fulfilling career if you have strong cooking and planning skills. One major consideration is patience when working with small children.
A line cook is a food service employee who typically works under a sous-chef to help prepare food dishes. Some line cooks work in specific positions on the line, such as grilling or baking.
Head cooks, also referred to as chefs, work in restaurants coordinating the work of kitchen staff, and directing preparation and presentation of meals.
A gourmet cook or chef prepares food and drinks for restaurants and individuals. A gourmet cook is basically a sophisticated cook. However, a gourmet cook is generally know for the creativity he brings to each new dish, whereas a regular cook may simply follow prescribed recipes without alteration.
Many people want to become cooks these days, especially as celebrity chefs continue to glamorize the cooking profession. People who have never worked in a commercial kitchen may not realize the amount of hard work the job entails.
Short order cooks prepare cook-to-order foods that require only a short time to prepare. Some may take orders directly from customers as well as serve the food they have prepared to customers. Typical foods prepared by short order cooks include hot and cold sandwiches, side dishes and salads. The type of restaurant and the size of its kitchen determine the specific duties of the short order cooks who work there. Some may even be required to cook dinner specials.
A grill cook must heat food on a grill to the individual preferences of the customer who orders it. By paying attention to speed, cleanliness and organization, a grill cook ensures that each food item prepared meets both the restaurant's and the customer's standards. Grill cooks are not always required to have prior experience in food services; however, it is often preferred.
Salad prep cooks prepare ingredients for inclusion in salads and sometimes sandwiches. This prep work may be done before a restaurant opens; it may also be done while patrons are eating the prepared food.