What Does a Pantry Cook Do?

With the increase in television shows and entire channels dedicated to food and cooking, people have become more enamored with the idea of working in the food industry themselves. Many people are not aware that within the category of professional cooks working in professional kitchens, there are subcategories of types of cooks.

Pantry Food

Pantry cooks primarily prepare the cold foods that a restaurant serves. These cold foods usually include salads, salad dressings, cold appetizers, sandwiches and desserts.

Prep

Pantry cooks are often responsible for preparing the cold ingredients that are used in hot dishes. This can include washing, cutting and storing fruits and vegetables, and often requires precision skills with knife work.

Inventory

Pantry cooks are usually in charge of keeping track of the inventory they work with. They must make sure that they have enough ingredients to use before the restaurant receives the next delivery of ingredients. They also have to make sure that the ingredients are properly stored and are still fresh by the time they are used.

Sanitizing

Most cooks, including pantry cooks, are responsible for keeping their work areas and storage areas, such as the walk-in (refrigerator and freezer) sanitary, following their state health codes.

Health Codes

Because pantry cooks are responsible for maintaining their work area and storage space to code, they must have full knowledge of those health codes.