Assistant cook course

The assistant cook is the professional who provides support to the cook: he is part of the kitchen brigade and works closely with the chef and the cooks. Within the organization of the kitchen of a restaurant, the main tasks of an assistant cook are: to carry out what is required to cook according to the directives of the chef, to prepare the ingredients and to clean the vegetables, to prepare simple dishes, to use kitchen tools and machinery (pots, pans, cutting boards, slicers ...), clean utensils, keep workspaces tidy. Sometimes the assistant cook also takes care of supplying the pantry and the cold rooms according to the cook's instructions, bringing the ingredients to the kitchen, packaging and storing food in compliance with hygiene and food safety standards. In emergency situations, the assistant cook must be able to replace the cook without affecting the quality of the kitchen. In large restaurants, with many cooks, the figure of assistant cook coincides with that of the commis (apprentice cook): in this case the assistant cook works under the orders of a chef de partie and specialization in a specific typology may be required. of dishes or "match" (such as meat dishes, fish dishes, pastry ...). In particularly small contexts, however, the tasks of the assistant cook tend to get confused with those of the "handyman" in the kitchen: he certainly helps the cook to cook, but at the same time he also does the work of the dishwasher and the kitchen boy, or helps in the dining room and provides table service.