A professional who prepares, seasons, and cooks soups, meats, vegetables, desserts, and other foodstuffs for consumption in eating establishments. Respnsibilities include:

• Reads menu to estimate food requirements and orders food from supplier or procures food from storage.
• Adjusts thermostat controls to regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, roasters, and steam kettles.
• Measures and mixes ingredients according to recipe, using variety of kitchen utensils and equipment, such as blenders, mixers, grinders, slicers, and tenderizers, to prepare soups, salads, gravies, desserts, sauces, and casseroles.
• Bakes, roasts, broils, and steams meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
• Adds seasoning to foods during mixing or cooking, according to personal judgment and experience.
• Observes and tests foods being cooked by tasting, smelling, and piercing with fork to determine that it is cooked.
• Carves meats, portions food on serving plates, adds gravies and sauces, and garnishes servings to fill orders.
• May supervise other cooks and kitchen employees.
• May wash, peel, cut, and shred vegetables and fruits to prepare them for use.
• May butcher chickens, fish, and shellfish.
• May cut, trim, and bone meat prior to cooking.
• May bake bread, rolls, cakes, and pastry.
• May price items on menu.
• May be designated according to meal cooked or shift worked as Cook, Dinner; Cook, Morning; or according to food item prepared as Cook, Roast; or according to method of cooking as Cook, Broiler.
• May substitute for and relieve or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods and be designated Cook, Relief.
• May prepare and cook meals for institutionalized patients requiring special diets and be designated Food-Service Worker.
• May be designated. Respnsibilities include:
• Cook, Dessert; Cook, Fry; Cook, Night; Cook, Sauce; Cook, Soup; Cook, Special Diet; Cook, Vegetable.
• May oversee work of patients assigned to kitchen for work therapy purposes when working in psychiatric hospital.