Short-order cook

A cook is a profession for individuals who prepare food for consumption in the food industry such as restaurants. A cook is sometimes referred to as a chef, although in the culinary world, the terms are not interchangeable. Cooks' responsibilities include preparing food, managing food stations, cleaning the kitchen, and helping the chefs. Restaurants will give a title to the cooks according to their designated stations. Examples are broiler cooks, fry cooks, pantry cooks, and sauce cooks.

In 776 BC, Coroebus of Elis who won the Ancient Olympic Games in a sprint race was also a cook.

In the Middle Age of Northern France (around 9th-15th century), being a cook was a known profession in the community. In a sense, cooks were acknowledged as trained craftsmen. Taillevent wrote in the Le Viandier- a classic recipe collection in Medieval France- that he underwent different levels of training such as being an apprentice and journeyman before he acquired a master grade. The master or queu attained knowledge passed from one generation to another.

Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) described cook in the Brigade De Cuisine as the Cuisinier. They help the top levels in the hierarchy, such as chefs, and prepare specific dishes.

Based on the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of work opportunities for cooks is expected to go up by 6 percent during the time period of 2016 to 2026. In 2016, the number of jobs for a cook was at 2,403,000. The rate is projected to increase slower than food preparation workers, bakers, and chefs (all of which are projected to increase by at least 8 percent from 2016 to 2026).

In addition, cooks earn about $22,850 a year, and about $10.99 an hour.

As of October 2017, the average income for cooks was around C$33,400 a year.

As of 2018 cooks in Australia earn about AU$20.48 for every hour of work.

There is not a strict set of achievements that one must accomplish before one can become a cook.

There are institutions that provide culinary programs, such as vocational cooking schools. There are mandatory lessons that cover topics such as food safety, sanitation, hospitality, and advanced cooking. This will last for less than two years to four years.

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Wikipedia