Chef to cook
A chef already meets 70% of what the cook role asks for. The move turns on 2 required skills not yet in the profile.
37.4/ 100
1 How much of what a cook is expected to do is already part of a chef’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cook role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cook role treats 13 of its required skills as things a chef already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- control of expenses
- ensure cleanliness of food preparation area
- handover the food preparation area
- maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature
- order supplies
What stands in the way is 2 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cook role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a chef background worth leading with.
- already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
- already held cook dairy products assisting and caring
- already held cook meat dishes assisting and caring
- already held prepare desserts assisting and caring
- already held prepare salad dressings assisting and caring
- already held cook sauce products assisting and caring
All 30 carried skills, including the 13 the cook role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment required
- optional, not held comply with standard portion sizes optional
- optional, not held prepare dairy products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare egg products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare meat products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare ready-made dishes optional
- optional, not held prepare saucier products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare vegetable products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held slice fish optional
- still to learn receive kitchen supplies required
- optional, not held create a diet plan optional
- optional, not held advise customers on seafood choices optional
- optional, not held advise on preparation of diet food optional
- optional, not held prepared meals optional
- optional, not held seafood processing optional
- optional, not held prepare bakery products optional
- optional, not held store kitchen supplies optional
- optional, not held nutrition optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 2 entries a cook role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 receive kitchen supplies practise this
- 02 maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 30 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area skill
- already held handover the food preparation area skill
- already held maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held store raw food materials skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use culinary finishing techniques skill
- already held use food cutting tools skill
- already held use food preparation techniques skill
- already held use reheating techniques skill
- already held work in a hospitality team skill
- already held check deliveries on receipt skill
- already held cook dairy products skill
- already held cook meat dishes skill
- already held cook sauce products skill
- already held cook seafood skill
- already held cook vegetable products skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held execute chilling processes to food products skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held identify nutritional properties of food skill
- already held manage waste skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held prepare desserts skill
- already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
- already held prepare salad dressings skill
- already held prepare sandwiches skill
- already held train employees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held fish anatomy optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise customers on seafood choices optional
- optional, not held comply with standard portion sizes optional
- optional, not held create a diet plan optional
- optional, not held fish anatomy optional
- optional, not held nutrition optional
- optional, not held prepare bakery products optional
- optional, not held prepare dairy products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare egg products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare meat products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare ready-made dishes optional
- optional, not held prepare saucier products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepare vegetable products for use in a dish optional
- optional, not held prepared meals optional
- optional, not held seafood processing optional
- optional, not held slice fish optional
- optional, not held store kitchen supplies optional
- optional, not held advise on preparation of diet food optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
19 held skills the cook role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role compile cooking recipes skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on food waste prevention skill
- not needed by the target role cook fish skill
- not needed by the target role cook pastry products skill
- not needed by the target role design indicators for food waste reduction skill
- not needed by the target role develop food waste reduction strategies skill
- not needed by the target role food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role instruct kitchen personnel skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role molecular gastronomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role plan shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role prepare canapés skill
- not needed by the target role set prices of menu items skill
- not needed by the target role think creatively about food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role types of whisks knowledge
- not needed by the target role use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held fish anatomy optional
- optional, not held nutrition optional
- optional, not held prepared meals optional
- optional, not held seafood processing optional
- optional, not held composition of diets optional
Other moves recorded from chef
Common questions about this move
Can a chef become a cook?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A chef already covers 70% of what a cook is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 13 of which the cook role treats as required.
What skills does a chef need to become a cook?
2 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is receive kitchen supplies.
How hard is the move from chef to cook?
Its learning distance is 37.4 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.