I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t cooks and chefs the same thing? Well, chefs and cooks differ in their training, abilities, salaries and responsibilities in and out of the kitchen. You need to know which culinary expert is right for you.

Cook

Training

One of the most considerable distinctions between a chef and a cook is their training and education. A cook can come in at an entry-level role without prior knowledge of the culinary arts. They will work their way up through the kitchen hierarchy. However, this does not mean that all cooks have no experience. Most cooks you will meet will have plenty of kitchen experience.

Responsibilities

Another key difference is a cook’s responsibilities in and out of the kitchen. A cook’s and chef’s responsibilities might overlap in the kitchen. The critical difference is a cook follows an already established recipe when preparing food. When the workday is done, cooks leave the kitchen, which is the end of their day.

Salary

Due to less training and responsibilities, a cook’s salary is usually lower than a chef’s. The current hourly rate of a cook in the United Kingdom is £11.48 per hour (Talent.com, 2022). 

Chef

Training

A chef will likely have extensive culinary training and a culinary degree. They will have extensive training on how to run a kitchen, cooking techniques, understanding flavour profiles and creating new recipes. Most will have already completed an apprenticeship in which they will have learned how to execute their responsibilities in and out of the kitchen.

Responsibilities

In the kitchen, they will have very similar responsibilities to a cook. However, the big difference is once they leave the kitchen, chefs are also trained to run the business side of a restaurant. When the workday is done, you will find chefs working on their menu, creating new dishes, handling payroll, managing a shift schedule and much more.

Salary

Due to this extensive training and management, chefs’ salaries are usually much higher than a cook’s. The current hourly rate of a chef in the United Kingdom is £13.33 per hour (Talent.com, 2022).

Private Cook Or Chef?

Now that you know the difference between a cook and a chef, how does it relate to your household? The responsibilities and expectations in a private home are much different than in a professional hotel or restaurant setting. When deciding between hiring a chef or a cook, you need to think about what your specific needs are.

Cook

In a private household, a cook can prepare and cook food for you on a small scale (mostly just family). They will also pick up any food they need to prepare and cook these meals, set and clear tables, and do the dishes after preparing a meal. However, depending on experience, cooks may struggle with preparing a weekly menu for you and creating new dishes week in and week out.

Chef

On the other hand, a chef will prepare and cook your food, which can be for just yourself, your family, or for a big dinner party. Chefs are flexible and adaptive to different situations. They will also be able to create a weekly menu for you while creating new dishes for you so you don’t eat the same thing every week. However, you can’t expect to handle any cleaning of dishes, setting tables, and getting groceries. If you want more information regarding how a chef can help prepare healthy meals for you, please visit A Chef For Healthy Habits. It would help if you also thought about what you will pay. As mentioned before, the hourly rate for a cook is usually lower than the hourly rate of a chef.

Do I Need Both?

An exciting prospect is possibly hiring both a chef and cook. This would allow you to have someone comfortable with the lesser aspects of preparing a meal like setting and clearing the table, picking up the ingredients needed, cleaning the dishes and preparing the meal. You could also have someone like a chef who is comfortable creating a specialized menu, cooking for large or small numbers and creating new dishes for you to enjoy constantly. However, you don’t need to hire both a cook and a chef to cover these responsibilities. It simply comes down to your needs and finding the right candidate to accomplish them.

What I Need To Do As A Client

It’s important to note that even though a cook and chef have different responsibilities in a private household, it doesn’t mean that a chef won’t wash dishes or a cook won’t be able to create a menu for you. It comes down to the candidate’s experience and what they are willing to do. It is up to you, the client, to specify the tasks and responsibilities you want your cook or chef to accomplish.
If you want to know how to hire a chef, we will help you with pleasure.