Cook

Job Title: Cook

This position is located at the Captain James A. Lovell Health Care Center Veterans Hospital in North Chicago, IL and is organizationally aligned under Nutrition and Food Services. The purpose of the position is to provide food service assistance in the Nutrition and Food Services Department.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Food Preparation

• Performs a full range of simple cooking which entails the preparation and cooking of meals that require little or no processing
• Follows menus, production sheets and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed
• Performs full range of simple cooking by preparing and cooking items requiring little or no processing such as hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies
• Grills eggs, hamburgers, meat patties, pancakes, French toast; broils meats; makes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwiches
• Prepares fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables; bakes frozen potatoes, pre-made cookie dough, muffin batters
• Prepares and heats convenience items such as frozen hash browns, fish fillets, and chicken nuggets; prepares pureed foods and adjusts consistency with thickeners
• Wash, peel and cut fruits and vegetables by hand or machine. Assembles and mixes salad ingredients and dessert items including gelatin molds and fruit crisps
• Washes, peels, chops, grinds, pares, cuts, slices, dices, purees, dredges, flours, breads items
• Weighs, measures, assembles ingredients for regular and modified diets
• Combines ingredients according to precisely written recipes to produce quality food items, minimizing preparation time and food waste
• Pans foods for bulk re-thermalization according to recipe guidelines and production guidelines
• Covers, dates, and stores leftovers according to established local policies/procedures
• Operates a variety of kitchen equipment: oven, combination oven/steamer, grill, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, blender, food processor, scale; follows safety procedures regarding the operation of equipment

Food Safety/Sanitation

• Follows sanitary food handling procedures; covers, labels and dates food items; utilize or discard ingredients by expiration date
• Disassembles and assembles component parts and accessories for cleaning
• Cleans, stores and maintains all kitchen utensils, equipment and work areas practicing a "clean as you go" concept
• Cleans and sanitizes assigned work areas: worktables, sinks, blast chillers, racks, carts
• Achieves certification in ServSafe and can apply knowledge of food safety, food temperatures, etc.
• Operates dish machine; checks detergent level and water temperature before washing and sanitizing cook's equipment. Checks equipment to make sure it is free of food residue and soap
• Cleans ovens, oven/steamer, slicer, mixer, steam kettles, grill daily
• Collects trash, sorts and prepares items for recycling
• Cleans floors, walls, shelves assigned
• Performs deep cleaning tasks such as cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezers. May operate powered floor cleaning or steam equipment for deep cleaning

Food Storage

• Rotates and stores perishable and non-perishable items according to service policies. Removes outdated or damaged goods from stock
• Labels all food items with contents and dates per labeling guidelines
• Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients accurately and according to standardized recipes or requisitions
• Monitor and maintain proper spacing of food products from floor, ceiling and shelving to ensure adequate air flow and spacing of products for optimal food safety
• Monitor for signs of pest notifying the appropriate individual as determined by your local policy
• Maintains accurate food inventories
• Maintains strict security in all areas

Work Schedule: 5:00am - 1:30pm OR 11:00am - 7:30pm

Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99819S

Physical Requirements: Subject to continuous standing, walking, frequent bending, reaching, pushing and pulling. Lifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbs. unassisted. Manipulates cumbersome and heavy objects, such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls, pushing heavy carts on caster, or operating heavy equipment. Manual dexterity is needed to safely operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades. Hand-eye coordination and ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment.