Cook

The Cook prepares, cooks, serves, and provision of quality meals and nutritional services to patients, staff and guests. The individual is responsible for accurately and efficiently cook meats, fish, vegetables, soups, and other hot food products as well as prepare and portion food products prior to cooking. Prepares item for broiling, grilling, frying, sauting or other cooking methods by portioning, battering, breading, seasoning and/or marinating. Must be knowledgeable of and consistently compliant with standard portion sizes, cooking methods, quality standards and kitchen rules, recipes, policies, and procedures.

Essential Duties:

• Practice appropriate hygienic practices
• Practices appropriate hand hygiene and glove use
• Employs hygienic practices
• Uses hair restraints and beard guards properly
• Follows facility practice for dealing with employees who have symptoms of contagious illness (e.g., coughing, sneezing, fever, vomiting) or open wounds
• Covers open sores or cuts completely when handling food
• Knows the causes of foodborne illnesses and infections, their characteristics, and the most commonly infected items
• Prevents eating surfaces of dishware from coming in contact with staff clothing
• Demonstrates understanding of infection control precautions
• Understands that menus are developed and prepared to meet patients choices including nutritional, religious, cultural, and ethnic needs while using established national guidelines and approved by a RDN
• Understands and follows prescribed diet orders, menu spreadsheets and corresponding recipes
• Appropriately interprets the portion sizes and serving utensils for all diets on the menu
• Provides required substitutions or modifications in meals for patients whose special needs restrict their diets
• Implements rules of safe practice for handling and discarding leftover food
• Ensures process for maintaining food at the proper temperature at all times during freezing, thawing, preparation, holding and serving
• Ensures preparation of food combinations that add visual appeal and variety to a menu (garnishes)
• Works with supervisors to plan menus for or around special occasions and holidays
• Demonstrates ability to recognize food quality, palatability and appearance
• Appropriately identifies menu portion sizes and serving utensils
• Cooks food adequately to required internal temperatures for potentially hazardous foods
• Uses thermometers correctly to check food temperatures and sanitizes appropriately after use
• Assures that hot foods are held at 135 F or higher, after they are heated to a minimum internal temperature
• Checks to make sure cold foods are held below 41
• Ensure that leftovers are reheated rapidly to 165 F in 2 hours
• Labels, dates and stores all food items correctly and in a timely manner
• Stores raw and cooked foods separately
• Practices the first in first out method of inventory rotation
• Keeps the refrigerator/freezer clean
• Wraps, dates, and labels all foods properly
• Stores food 6" off the floor and 18" from the ceiling
• Stores chemicals away from food and other food-related supplies
• Keeps food stored in proper containers
• Demonstrates personal responsibility for maintaining safe and sanitary conditions
• Understands basic principles of food service sanitation
• Uses cutting boards according to type of food
• Stores cleaning cloths in sanitizing solution