Cook Career Profiles

The job of a cook is to prepare food. A cook can work in a fast food restaurant, a diner, a family restaurant, or a fine dining establishment. Cooks can also work in hotels, on cruise ships, and even in private homes. Anywhere where a professional must prepare food, a cook can find a job.

Cooks in fancier establishments generally have some professional training, such as a culinary degree. Some learn on-the-job, beginning in smaller restaurants or in positions that require less skill and working their way up. Cooks often work long hours in hot kitchens and must use knives, handle hot pots, manage hot grease, and use hot stove and ovens. Therefore, this work can be dangerous and physically demanding. Hours are often irregular, with cooks working weekends, holidays, and evenings. A cook may report directly to a chef and follow instructions or may work alone. Cooks can work for others or open their own establishments to have greater flexibility in the type of cooking they do.

If you think becoming a cook may be a career you are interested in, there is no better way to understand the profession than to read a career profile prepared by interviewing people in the business. Browse the career profiles below to learn more about working as a cook and to see if this profession is right for you.