How to Train to Be a Prep Cook
Prep cooks help senior chefs and head chefs prepare the meals served in restaurants. Their duties range from cleaning work surfaces to chopping the ingredients needed to prepare dishes. For those looking to eventually become a top chef, being a prep cook is the first step toward meeting this goal. There are many ways to train for this entry-level restaurant position.
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Instructions
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Attend a culinary arts program if you have little or no experience with cooking techniques. If you have at least intermediate cooking experience, you can learn on your own by studying cooking books, testing recipes, and observing instructional cooking videos and television programs.
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Practice multitasking in the kitchen. Prep cooks must handle several duties at once, such as monitoring rising dough while chopping vegetables and simmering rice.
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Help your family and friends when preparing meals whenever possible. This will not only give you more cooking practice but teach you how to follow the instruction of others in the kitchen, which is a skill all successful prep cooks must have.
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Study the prep cook job manuals of restaurants, preferably restaurants you're interested in working for. Doing so will help you learn what your expected job duties will be. These manuals are often available online at the restaurant's website (see Resources for an example).
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Take your state or county's food handler certification course, if required. You will learn about food safety, receive your state's permit for handling and preparing food in a commercial kitchen, and be a more attractive job candidate since your future employer will not have to spend money to train you. The cost of these classes ranges from $15 to $35, depending upon where you live; contact you state's department of public health to find out where you can take the course and whether it is necessary.
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References
Resources
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