Cooks, Restaurant
Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.
Also known as: Back Line Cook, Back of House Team Member (BOH Team Member), Banquet Cook, Breakfast Cook, Broiler Cook, Chef De Partie, Cook, Foreign Food Specialty Cook, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Much faster than average)
What You'd Do
- Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
- Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
- Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
- Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
- Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
- Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
- Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
- Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
- Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.
- Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
- Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.
- Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
- Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
- Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
- Estimate expected food consumption, requisition or purchase supplies, or procure food from storage.
- Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs.
- Butcher and dress animals, fowl, or shellfish, or cut and bone meat prior to cooking.
- Prepare relishes and hors d'oeuvres.
- Keep records and accounts.
- Plan and price menu items.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.