Job Description for a Cook

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.

Safety and Sanitation

Cooks must possess a food handler's permit to show they understand and can follow the health codes pertaining to safety and sanitation of the work area and cooking utensils; personal grooming; and how to properly prepare food to avoid food-borne illnesses.

Inventory

Cooks must maintain the kitchen's inventory, ordering just enough to make sure necessary ingredients are always on hand without any going to waste, and making sure everything is stored properly for safety and space efficiency.

Organization

Cooks must organize kitchen staff schedules, plan regular duties such as cleaning, design menus and make sure cooking activities are coordinated between cooking staff when preparing meals.

Traits

Cooks must be quick when cooking, remember multiple orders and any special requests, have good communication skills and be able to multitask, especially when cooking several things at once.

Cooking Skills

Cooks must understand proper preparation technique, memorize certain recipes to ensure consistency, know how to time dishes when they must be completed at once, know how to cook in bulk without generating waste and know how to use commercial kitchen equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders (broilers) and steamers.