A Cook

by Oxana Moskovchuk

"A good cook is the peculiar gift of the gods.
He must be a perfect creature from the brain to the palate, from the palate to the finger's end."
Walter Savage Landor

A cook is an exciting and challenging profession. This profession takes a lot of time and energy. It may bring a lot of money. But at the same time it brings a lot of stress. Cooks prepare and cook complete meals and individual dishes and foods. There are different types of cooks. They are: a prep cook, a short order cook, a fast food cook, a pastry cook a personal cook and an executive chef.
A prep cook is a person who might peel bags of potatoes, mince pounds of meat and pounds of garlic, chop lots of fresh herbs, and dice tons of onion. A prep cook does everything that an executive chef says.
A short order cook is a person who makes simple, fast-cooking meals and snacks. Short order cooks are also called grill cooks, fry cooks, broiler cooks, breakfast cooks, or line cooks and work in places like coffee shops, lunch counters, family restaurants and steak houses.
A fast food cook is a person who operates grills or deep-fat fryers to cook items ordered by each customer. They usually work for a national fast food chain restaurant. They cook hamburgers, chicken, pizza, tacos etc.
A pastry cook is a person who cooks different kinds of baked goods and confections, as well as special projects. They must also be creative, have a good aesthetic eye, and understand the principles of taste and flavor in desserts.
A personal cook is a person who cooks only for one family. A Personal cook must determine dinner time favorites, discuss allergies and dislikes, then shop for all the fresh ingredients and go to client's home to prepare delicious meals.
An executive chef is a person who plans and directs food preparation and cooking activities in restaurants. He always plans the menu. An executive chef is the most important person in the kitchen.
All cooks use different cooking utensils and tools. They are: a brush, a chopping board, a spatula, a peeler, a whisk, a rolling pin, a salad spinner, a baking tray, a measuring cup, a corkscrew, tongs, different spoons and knives etc. Nowadays cooks have different appliances to make their work easier and faster. They are: a deep fryer, a food steamer, a microwave oven, a waffle iron, a grinder, a blender, a mixer, a toaster, a grill, an ice cream maker, a pressure cooker, a coffee maker and many others.
A cook may have hundreds of tools and appliances but the dish turns out delicious only if a cook is talented.
Duties of a cook!
Cooks prepare and cook a wide range of foods. Cooks prepare soups, salads, entrees and desserts. The responsibilities of cooks are different depending on where they work. However, there are some basic duties that most cooks have. Cooks always ensure freshness of food and ingredients. Before cooking they weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes. They also store food and ingredients at the correct temperatures to prevent bacterial growth.
Cooks are very concentrated when they start cooking. They bake, grill, boil, steam or fry meats, fish, vegetables and other foods. The look of the dish is very important, so cooks arrange and garnish their dishes carefully. Cooks sometimes even serve their dishes. When the work is done, cooks clean their work areas, equipment, utensils, and dishes.

Follow-up questions:

1. Do you like to cook?
2. Do you like to help your mother with cooking?
3. Do you want to be a cook?
4. Do you want to have a cook in your family?
5. Do you have a cook in your family?
6. Do you have a talent for cooking?
7. Do you cook?
8. Do you cook desserts?
9. Do your friends cook better than you?
10. Do you know any talented cooks?
11. What can you cook?
12. What do you cook for breakfast?
13. What do you cook for lunch?
14. What do you cook for dinner?
15. What do you cook for supper?
16. What do you cook for your guests?
17. What is your favorite dish?
18. What is your favorite drink?
19. What is your favorite dessert?
20. When do you usually have breakfast?
21. When do you usually have lunch?
22. When do you usually have dinner?
23. When do you usually have supper?
24. Who cooks for you?
25. Who is the best cook in your family?
26. Who is the worst cook in your family?
27. Is it cool to be a cook?
28. Is it necessary to be experienced when you want to be a prep cook?
29. Is it necessary to be strict when you want to be an executive chef?
30. Is a cook a well-paid job?
31. Is a cook a prestigious job?
32. Is it difficult to be a cook?
33. Is it fun to be a cook?
34. Is it good to have a friend who is a cook?
35. What types of cooks do you know?
36. Whatdoes a prep cook do?
37. Whatdoes a pastry cook do?
38. What does a personal cook do?
39. Whatfast a fast food cook do?
40. What is an executive chef like?
41. What profession is more interesting? (A personal cook or a prep cook)
42. What cooking utensils, tools do you know?
43. What kitchen appliances do you know?
44. What kitchen appliances do you have?
45. What cooking utensils do you use?