Cook and Chef Job Description, Career as a Cook and Chef, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job
cooks chefs food restaurant
Education and Training: High school plus training
Salary: Varies—see profile
Employment Outlook: Good
Definition and Nature of the Work
Cooks and chefs are the mainstay of the food service industry. They work in restaurants, cafeterias, lunchrooms, hotels, and other places that prepare and serve food. Cooks and chefs mainly plan menus and prepare food for customers. Their specific duties vary depending on the type and size of the establishment for which they work.
Most restaurants have only one or two short-order cooks who make hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, and other food items that can be prepared and served quickly. Other restaurants hire a cooking staff made up of dishwashers, kitchen helpers, cooks, and a head cook or chef. Unlike the short-order cook who prepares many foods, a cook in a large restaurant usually becomes an expert in one kind of food. There are pastry chefs, fry cooks, roast cooks, vegetable cooks, soup cooks, and others. These cooks are assisted by kitchen helpers. A chef supervises the cooks and oversees all of the cooking done in the kitchen. Besides seeing that the food is tasty and well plated (attractive to look at), chefs decide on the size of the servings, set prices, plan menus, and order the appropriate amount of supplies. It is their duty to check all of the equipment in the kitchen to see that it is in good condition.
There are many types of restaurants offering many kinds of food. Cooking methods vary considerably. Stir-frying a Chinese dish is quite different from
Chefs may work with other restaurant staff to order the supplies and ingredients they need for the kitchen.
Cooking is an art. Cooks create new dishes and improve on familiar ones. Good cooks are those who can prepare simple foods well. Great cooks are those who can invent new and delicious dishes. The great ones are highly paid for their skill and sometimes become celebrities.
Many cooks work in restaurants. Schools, colleges, hotels, hospitals, government agencies, the armed services, manufacturing plants, and private clubs also hire cooks. Whether they work for an elegant French restaurant or an elementary school, cooks must take pride in their work and aim to please their customers.
Education and Training Requirements
Cooks and chefs need a great deal of knowledge and experience working with food. The minimum requirement is a high school education plus on-the-job training. High schools, vocational or technical schools, two-year and four-year colleges, adult education programs, and the armed services all offer cooking programs and courses. Most courses run from two months to two years. Many employers will hire only those candidates who have earned a cooking diploma. Some cooks begin as dishwashers or kitchen helpers. These jobs enable workers to obtain restaurant experience and to observe and learn from experienced cooks and chefs.
Cooks should have a keen sense of taste and smell and must enjoy food preparation. They also must be clean, neat, and healthy. Cooks must order specific quantities of food at certain prices while staying within their budget; therefore, they should have some mathematical aptitude.
Getting the Job
Prospective cooks and chefs should apply directly to the establishments for which they would like to work. Small restaurants and cafes offer the greatest number of starting jobs. Vocational school students can contact their placement office for assistance in finding a job. Newspaper want ads, Internet job banks, and private and state employment offices frequently list job openings for cooks and chefs.
Advancement Possibilities and Employment Outlook
Graduates of vocational schools and other programs can usually find jobs as cooks immediately, but it takes several years before they can become head cooks or chefs in a fine restaurant. Restaurant training programs vary in their promotion policies. Most cooks find that moving from restaurant to restaurant gives them higher paying positions and a greater variety of experience. After several years cooks may decide to go into business as caterers or restaurant owners. Good business sense, fine cooking skills, and a lot of money are required to run a successful food service business. Some cooks become vocational school teachers.
Employment is expected to increase as fast as the average for cooks and chefs through the year 2014. Most job openings will be to replace workers who retire or change jobs, and jobs at the best restaurants will continue to be highly competitive. Population growth, higher average incomes, and more leisure time continues to fuel the trend of dining out in America, which bodes well for future cooks and chefs.
Working Conditions
Most kitchens are air-conditioned, have convenient work areas and modern equipment, and are well organized. Despite these conveniences, cooks and chefs require stamina and physical strength. They work near hot ovens, grills, and ranges in a very noisy and chaotic environment. Cooks stand most of the time, and they must have the strength to lift heavy pots and kettles.
Cooks and chefs typically work forty to forty-eight hours per week, including nights and weekends. Holiday work is common. Those who cook in school cafeterias work only nine or ten months each year. Cooks usually wear uniforms, and some employers provide uniforms or uniform allowances.
Cooks and chefs must be able to work under pressure during rush hours. They should enjoy working as part of a team and be able to organize and direct the kitchen staff effectively. Head cooks and chefs work with little or no supervision; other kitchen helpers work under their direction.
Earnings and Benefits
Wages depend mostly on the workers' skill and on the type and location of the food service business for which they work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly earnings of chefs and head cooks was $14.75 in 2004, but many top chefs earned more than twice that amount. Celebrity cooks earn millions of dollars each year. Benefits for full-time employees generally include health insurance and paid vacations and holidays. As a rule cooks receive free meals while they are at work.
User Comments
10 months ago
Joe
Actually there right im a chef at night and baker in the morning I cook everything to order and it gets to be a lot when u have 19 entrees in at the same time trying prioritize ant keep customers coming back for more presentation is the most important part because people eat with there eyes first
almost 4 years ago
Wow ^^ This is a great information for me for my school project. I thank you very much for this info :)
almost 4 years ago
THANKZ FOR ALL YOUR HELP ON MY RESEARCH PAPER
almost 2 years ago
I am a cook, been one for 2 years, the most im able to make is $8.50/hr. This is the most laid back job i've ever had.
over 3 years ago
this page is super cool Im going to be a chef when I grow up
over 1 year ago
brittney boles
i hate people that dont know how to cook
over 3 years ago
This is SO AWSOME!!!!!!!!!
over 3 years ago
this was very helpful i want to be a chef now
over 2 years ago
J
I’ve been working in the industry for some time now so I know it quite well and I found the info on this site pretty accurate. I don't think you glamorized it but instead gave a good general overview.
about 3 years ago
i like the way you gave me information about being a chef
over 3 years ago
you spelled "Awesome" wrong....
about 1 year ago
this sucks balls
about 1 year ago
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THIS SUCKS THIS IS ALL WRONG
about 1 year ago
you smell lke milk boo boo
about 3 years ago
you have a large part of your information wrong..... i was a chef for 7 years at some of Canada's top restaurants and i never worked in an air condition kitchen or worked less than 50 hours a week. Our wage up here is a lot a lot less than you quote, starting at 11/hr. And please don't encourage people to be celebrity chefs as a career option. If you work hard and are dedicated it may still not happen for you, a lot has to do with timing and connections to the right people. I wish all of you who want to be chef the best of luck but the fact of the matter is that half of you will quit the industry after 5 years and half of the rest after before 10. I'm sorry but it's a tough job and too many people glamorize it.
10 months ago
yo mama
this sucks balls dude i dont like it even though i wanna be a chef. i want to own my own bakery, so you guys can jack off. plus this stuff isnt even up to date. so thanks for nothing losers
12 months ago
jeffry alfonso
im body otodidack....im basicly japanese food and indonesia food...
about 1 year ago
lala whatevs
9 months ago
well i think all yall SUCK ! Get st me if you got something to say to me at ms.swaggajones@yahoo.com & you will be dealt with !
10 months ago
El Beasto
YEAHH IM A THUG AND THIS IS GOOD INFO
over 1 year ago
I agree, now am not so sure about becoming a chef just because the comments some people posted, am only 13 and my dreams of becoming a chef have disappeared...
almost 2 years ago
sugey
please don't give bad comments about being a chef because here is a girl who really wants to become a chef. if i become a chef i will probably be successful one day or at least i hope so. however this comments are not inspiring to me so instead of say bad things, why don't you try to be more positive about this career? i will appreciate that..thanks
almost 2 years ago
Ya there is no such thing as a air conditioned kitchen, in the summer its hot and sticky and the only place you can go to cool off is the fridge or freezer.
over 3 years ago
yo this thing dont give a lot of info yall need some more info?..
19 days ago
Maranda
idk
25 days ago
do you need to be good at science to be a head cok????
25 days ago
hekele
I would love to be a chef but i am really bad at science do you really need to be good at it?????
2 months ago
offiq
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2 months ago
offiq
this is zillikmillik.
3 months ago
its good to work for the hospitallity to gain more
3 months ago
RAY
This is some cool stuff I want to be a chef and this is helping me out plus I found out some info for a collage project
3 months ago
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4 months ago
bein a chef is awsome its dealing with fucked up staff thats the problem hahaha
4 months ago
Every body remembers that humen's life is very expensive, but different people require money for various things and not every person gets enough money. Thus to get fast home loans and secured loan will be a correct way out.
4 months ago
How many years dose it take to be a chef
5 months ago
Raphael
This is great info that Im able to use on my school project but also information that I can use and I know what I need to prepare for in order to be a chef.
5 months ago
Jade and Taya
:)
5 months ago
eduardo
LOOKING AND READING THIS INFORMATION WAS PRETTY GOOD STUFF HERE AND BECOMING A CHEIF WAS ALWAYS A DREAM THAT I HAD WHEN I WAS A KID, SO NOW IS TIME TO PUSH MY LIMITS AND PUT MY SKILLS TO WORK! THANK YOU AND READING THE COMMENTS PEOPLE IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A COOK DO IT! THANK YOU!
5 months ago
Nicole
I am a full time cook, my duties are to cook ,clean, do all dishes (most of the time),prep, and lift heavy things down two flights of stairs, is this right???
8 months ago
aighvnafugyrgh
i want to be a chef when im older so this is very good info also u such chicken kiev balls
8 months ago
I am ratatouille moooooooofooo!
9 months ago
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9 months ago
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9 months ago
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9 months ago
I took my first personal loans when I was very young and it helped my relatives a lot. But, I need the commercial loan once again.
9 months ago
I would like to propose not to hold off until you get enough amount of cash to buy different goods! You should just take the loan or just commercial loan and feel free
9 months ago
Houses and cars are expensive and not everyone is able to buy it. Nevertheless, mortgage loans are created to support people in such kind of hard situations.
9 months ago
Some time before, I did need to buy a good car for my corporation but I didn't have enough money and couldn't order anything. Thank goodness my father proposed to try to get the credit loans from creditors. Hence, I acted that and used to be satisfied with my short term loan.
9 months ago
Idiot what is this
10 months ago
how much does a headchef get paid
over 3 years ago
this is very helpful
over 3 years ago
Tanks! This really helped with my research for my presentation. I had to do a tri-fold on all the aspecs of being a chef. Thanks a lot!
over 3 years ago
thanks for the report info.
much needed.
LOVE YOU
Damein Mcgregor
over 3 years ago
this was the best thanks
over 3 years ago
this is awsom man
almost 4 years ago
This was just the site I needed for my paper and it helped me decide on a career. I'm glad I found it!!
almost 4 years ago
Thanx for helping me write this report. HAHAHAHAHA.
almost 4 years ago
Thank you this is what i want to be when i grow older so i had to do a research paper for high school this was very helpful for me
almost 4 years ago
This is great, im writing a highschool research paper for the culinary career field, this site has a ton of
almost 4 years ago
this page was very helpful im writing a school essay about the culinary arts field and this page gave me some very useful info
almost 4 years ago
nice thanks
about 4 years ago
This is a good page to read and very informational.
almost 5 years ago
this a nice page to reead i like it