Work As a Cook

Cooks, also known as prep or line cooks, work under supervisors to prepare safe and good-tasting food for consumers. Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients for dishes. Line cooks, who are one step up on the kitchen’s chain of command, are responsible for prepping ingredients and assembling dishes to fill orders. These positions require knowledge of food preparation and kitchen sanitation practices, as well as a willingness to follow directions and work on a team. For those who have a passion for cooking, these can be great early-career jobs in the restaurant world.

Steps

Getting Hired as a Cook

1. Attend a two- or four-year culinary program. Culinary arts degrees can be obtained at most local community or technical schools, as well as accredited private institutions. These programs provide instruction on the preparation of various dishes using different types of kitchen equipment, safety guidelines, and kitchen management. While these degrees are not required for most positions, many restaurants look kindly on prep and line cook candidates who have both restaurant experience and a culinary arts degree.
2. Rise to a prep or line cook from lower-level positions. Some cooks may be able to obtain their jobs by working first as a dishwasher in the kitchen. This job allows workers to become familiar with the kitchen routine and team, and may lead to promotion to a position as a prep and then a line cook. This long-term experience provides a way for experienced restaurant workers to be hired without a degree.
   • While this option will require several years of dedication, it could be less costly. Although you will likely have commit to several years of low-wage work as you slowly rise in the restaurant world, you can also avoid having to pay tuition to obtain a degree.
3. Perform a job search online and in your area. Restaurants may advertise their job openings in various forums, so plan to search both online and in person. Start with Indeed.com for online searches. For in-person searches, visit the main dining neighborhoods in your area and talk to chefs about their current openings for prep and/or line cooks.
4. Highlight the skills required by the position on your resume. Write a one-page resume appropriate for either a prep or a line cook opening. These positions have many overlapping duties, but they do differ slightly.
   • For prep cooks, be sure your resume demonstrates your knowledge of food preparation and various ingredients, proper use of cooking utensils and knives, restocking practices, and general food safety.
   • For line cooks, show that you can produce high-quality food by following the precise instructions of recipes and upper-level chefs. Also demonstrate your ability to use good time-management and multitasking skills while prepping food, assembling dishes, cleaning your station, and operating standard kitchen equipment.
5. Familiarize yourself with the restaurants currently hiring cooks. Restaurant supervisors will look kindly on candidates who can demonstrate knowledge of the menu and restaurant culture. They’ll want to know that you can fit into their kitchen, so take some time to read the menu and review any press coverage the restaurant has received. This should impress chefs during any conversations or interviews they conduct with you.
   • Some restaurants, for example, may only cook with locally-sourced food. If you know this going into conversations with your interviewers, you can discuss your commitment to that mission.

Performing Your Duties as a Cook

1. Dedicate yourself to the creation of high-quality food. The most important mission of a cook is providing good food to your customers. For every action you perform, remember that it’s all in service of giving a hungry person something enjoyable to eat. This will allow you to treat every task with patience and care.
2. Ensure that your station is clean at the beginning and end of shifts. As a prep or line cook, you’ll be responsible for keeping the kitchen clean. This is most crucial at the end of shifts, when you should take out the garbage and clean cooking materials and surfaces. You may also need to dispose of unused ingredients and dishes, returning them to their proper stocking locations, donating items, or throwing them away.
3. Learn and follow proper food safety guidelines. Food safety violations can lead to unhealthy customers and punitive repercussions for the restaurant. Since you’ll be handling food, you should be aware of proper handling, storing, and disposal guidelines. Be sure that you’re also adhering to expected cleaning guidelines.
   • Each state, county, and even individual city or town will likely have unique safety requirements. Ask your chef and supervisors about your restaurant’s specific policies.
   • Some states may require that one or multiple employees employed by individual restaurants be officially certified by food safety professionals. Your restaurant will make you aware of any necessary certificates you may need to obtain.
   • Proper food safety requires cooks to maintain good personal hygiene as well. You may be required to keep longer hair secured under hair nets or chef’s hats. You should also shower before and after each shift.
4. Prep materials for upper-level cooks and chefs if you’re a prep cook. Prep cooks’ main duties include preparing all materials and ingredients necessary for the restaurant’s dishes. This will likely consist of washing and chopping vegetables, cutting or grinding meat, cleaning fish and other seafood, and weighing and measuring out dry and wet ingredients. Prep cooks will also be expected to organize and store these items so they’re easily accessible for upper-level chefs.
5. Prep materials and assemble dishes if you’re a line cook. Line cooks’ duties will likely include those of prep cooks, along with the added responsibility of assembling meals. Line cooks will create individual dishes by following the instructions provided by recipes and/or the upper-level chefs. They may be required to work in teams with other line cooks to produce a full menu item.
6. Keep the kitchen fully stocked. Both prep and line cooks may be required to keep track of their kitchen’s stock. This will include unloading and reviewing deliveries from various food vendors, checking on all pantries and walk-in fridges and freezers, and recording a detailed inventory for upper-level chefs.
7. Expect to be paid between about $9-$17 per hour. Prep cooks are paid an average of about $9 per hour, while line cooks make an average of $14 per hour. In larger cities with a more robust restaurant industry, these numbers may be higher. Higher-paying jobs will also be more competitive and may require more experience.
8. Maintain a healthy lifestyle to stay sharp on the job. Being a cook is a demanding, often physical position. It requires the worker to be on their feet and active for long periods of time. If you eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough rest, your body will be able to handle this high-impact lifestyle without causing you pain.

Advancing Your Career

1. Strive for excellence by asking for performance reviews. The best way to know how you’re handling your current position is to receive feedback. Your supervisor will likely be happy to provide comments and critiques on your work. Use their advice to constantly reach for a better on-the-job performance. This will show your dedication and may make your supervisors more likely to consider you for promotion.
2. Observe the job requirements of upper-level chefs. When you’re getting ready to move up to a higher position in the kitchen, watch your fellow workers. Make a mental list of their duties and understand how they approach those tasks. Take special note of when their approaches work well and when they could use improvement.
   • Do this observation on your off-time. Don’t abandon your own responsibilities, as this won’t help you on your quest to impress your supervisor and advance your career.
3. Volunteer to shadow and assist upper-level chefs. Make your observation-time more official by creating a set schedule for watching and learning from your co-workers. They will allow you to slowly familiarize yourself with the various tasks they accomplish on a daily or weekly basis. They may then share their duties with you, offering critiques and methods of improvement as you perform those tasks.
4. Ask upper-level chefs to expand your responsibilities. Your supervisors will be impressed by your dedication to the job and your willingness to take on extra work. Ask the chefs to gear your added duties toward the position to which you’d eventually like to advance. This will allow you to slowly adapt to the new role.
   • Don’t take on more duties than you can handle. Your most important goal should be to provide consistently high-quality food to your supervisors and customers.
5. Ask your supervisors about potential higher-level openings. It may be easiest to advance up the kitchen ladder at your current place of employment. Your supervisors are familiar with your work, and they’ll know what to expect from you once you’re promoted. However, if all the current upper-level chefs seem happy with their positions and haven’t expressed plans to leave, you may need to be willing to wait or to look elsewhere for opportunities.
6. Move to a new restaurant with better advancement possibilities. If you’re willing to switch restaurants, you may be able to rise more quickly to higher-level positions. Once you feel you’ve gained enough experience at your current position, begin searching for jobs at the next level of the kitchen hierarchy. This may involve relocating to a more restaurant-heavy area, such as a large city.
   • Be sure to remain at your current job long enough to establish a positive relationship with your supervisors. You need good references to get hired at other restaurants. Usually, you should remain at a job for a minimum of about one to two years.

Tips

• Continue to pursue advanced education in culinary arts while working as a cook to move ahead in the field. A formal education in culinary arts may lead to a chef position. You can also pursue specialized programs for different kinds of chefs, such as classes meant to train pastry chefs.

References

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