Cook

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Prepare, cook, season, and serve adequate, attractive, nutritious and balanced meals, including meat, fish, fowl, vegetables, fruit, soups, salads, desserts, breads and pastries, as specified and scheduled by the menus. Clean dietary work area.

The person holding this position is delegated the responsibilities for carrying out the assigned duties and responsibilities in accordance with current existing federal and state regulations and established company policies and procedures.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Handle and prepare food that is palatable, appetizing and attractive, following standardized recipes.
• Comply with meal schedules.
• Maintain and use equipment and supplies, sanitize after each use.
• Work cooperatively with other staff and departments.
• Use initiative, judgment and portion control in setting up meals and utilizing leftovers to avoid waste.
• Follow standard recipes.
• Cook a variety of foods in large quantities.
• Understand importance of proper food-handling techniques and hazards of improper food handling.
• Be familiar with seasoning and cooking time required.
• Be aware of cooking characteristics of various cuts of meat, fish, and fowl.
• Estimate quantities of food required and apportion servings while monitoring portion-control guidelines for individual residents.
• Prepare foodstuffs for cooking:  Peel, wash, trim, and cut vegetables and fruit; wash, cut, debone and trim meat, fish and fowl.
• Taste, smell, and observe food to ensure conformity with recipes and appearance.
• Serve food according to dietary guidelines, checking each meal for completeness and accuracy.
• Wash and sanitize pots, pans and other equipment as used.
• Responsible for supervision of other food service employees in absence of dietary service manager and assist in training of new employees.
• Cook foods:  Bake, roast, stew and steam-cook meats, fish and fowl, basting as necessary to retain flavor; make gravies, stocks, dressings, sauces and soups.
• Prepare cold meats, sandwiches, griddle cakes, cooked cereals and beverages.
• Perform related duties as assigned or as the situation dictates.
• Assist in the cleaning of the dietary department.