Home Cook

Job Title:

Home Cook

Number Of Years Dedicated To This Field Of Work or Lifestyle:

17 years

Category Of Work:

Hobby – Unpaid

Country / Area of Work:

Bulgaria

Industry:

Hospitality/Travel

Type:

Hobby

Key Skills For The Job:

Ability to follow recipes. Patience to see a dish come together, but also patience in the process of cooking i.e. to not adjust recipes because you are not confident the dish is working out (before allowing the process time it needs to progress). Passion for learning what ingredients work well together and why some ingredients do not!

Other skills include basic math, for converting weights and measures into different scales as needed given a particular recipe. Basic cooking skills, chopping, grating, peeling, whisking, kneading, etc.

Vital Key Skill:

Ability to make a dish as special as possible. Whether its an eye for detail for the presentation or getting the absolute most out of the ingredients to hand.

Your Personal Experience Of Entering This Role:

No Prior Skills Or Experience

Tips For Undertaking This Work:

There are a lot of skills involved and when you think about how many types of cooking methods there are it can be a bit overwhelming. Try to break the learning process down, maybe concentrate on one type of cuisine first. This will also help in learning what flavours go well together.

Once you gain confidence with this cuisine, utilise your skills by broadening what type of food you cook.

Future Progression Or Developments:

This question is not relevant for home cooks. So long as my family are happy eating the food I make, I am delighted.

An example I believe would be:
– Section Chef
– Junior Sous
– Sous Chef
– Head Chef
– Area Chef

Other options would be to start your own catering business i.e. cater for parties, open a mobile catering unit, be a paid chef for someone at their home.

Advice You Would Give To A Younger You Undertaking This Work:

It pays off to spend money on good kitchen equipment. A heavy based ban as opposed to a cheaper thin based, good quality knives giving a smoother cut, reliable scales, etc. Also don’t worry about those cook books getting a bit splashed or dusty from flour it only adds the the books charm and can be hard to avoid completely .

What Are The ‘tools of the trade’ Used Daily:

Measuring jug, weighing scales, sharp knives, whisk, mixing bowl, chopping board, oven, fridge, freezer, temperature probe, lots of tea towels, apron, ingredients, grater, wire rack for cooling food on, frying pan, heavy based saucepan, mix of different sized pans, etc.

A Typical Day’s Duties:

Pick a recipe and check what ingredients you have in stock and which you need to buy. Check you have all the equipment you need. Make any purchases needed. Then clear a work area and weigh out all ingredients. Follow the recipe (book or from memory) trying to keep a tidy and clean work space as you cook. Once finished plate up, serve.

Finally washing up, clearing and cleaning the kitchen.

Is Travelling A Regularly Part Of This Work:

No

Weekly Working Hours:

Not Applicable

Type Of Hours Arrangement:

Flexible Based On Your Own Needs

The Best Thing About The Work You Do:

Seeing others enjoy the food I make. Sharing a good meal with friends and family. Great conversations, precious time spent together while enjoying a meal that had a lot of love go into preparing it.

Your Least Favorite Thing About The Work You Do:

The washing up!

Any Duties You Hadn’t Anticipated Prior To Undertaking The Work:

The science behind cooking. i.e why custard will curdle, thickening agents, use of yeast in dough to give just a few examples.

The Top Perks Of The Work:

At the moment the top perk for me is sharing my cooking knowledge with my 3 year old daughter. Making simple cakes, scones, pancakes. Baking simple tings with her and seeing her enjoy breaking eggs, whisking, mixing and yes….. licking the bowl!

Other Work In The Same Sector:  (Left Blank If Not Applicable)

In hospitality there are many jobs, for the preparations and service of food jobs include, waiting staff, head waiter, front of house manager, bar staff, pot-washer and other management jobs that could go into running a restaurant or cafe i.e. marketing, finance, human resource, purchasing, etc.

What Professional Organisations Are Associated With Your Work:

There are many, but include:

British Hospitality Association (BHA)
Institute of Hospitality
International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IHRA)

Also not to forget Michelin and their prestigious Michelin star awards/ reviews.

Additional Info You Wish To Share:

Your dishes should improve the more you gain an appreciation for how ingredients should look, taste and feel at the different stages of your recipe. Have fun trying to cook dishes without a recipe just exploring ideas using the skills and knowledge you have acquired.

My name is June Ogterop, I a mother of a 2 year old girl. I am English and have Irish heritage also. I married a South African, so I try to provide food for my family that is a little “taste of home” or that shows where our family comes from.