Who is a cook and what do cooks do?
A cook (or chef) prepares food for other people in homes, restaurants, schools, hospitals, care homes, factories and relief camps. The main duties are:
- Food safety and hygiene: wash hands, wear clean clothes and hair cover, keep raw and cooked food apart, cook and store at safe temperatures.
- Nutrition: plan balanced menus with grains, vegetables, fruit, protein and little salt, sugar and unhealthy fat.
- Kitchen management: order and store food well, control cost, reduce waste, keep the kitchen and equipment clean.
- Own health: have regular health checks and never handle food when ill with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or infected wounds.
- Teamwork and manners: work with dietitians, nurses, teachers and customers, and respect their needs and beliefs.
Cooks and health promotion
Health promotion means helping people stay healthy before they get ill. Cooks do this every day through food:
- Less salt and sugar. The World Health Organization advises adults to eat less than 5 g of salt a day. A cook can season with herbs and spices and add salt carefully.
- More vegetables, fruit and whole grains in every meal.
- Right food for each person: soft, small portions for young children; soft, easy-to-chew food for older people; special diets for patients; energy-rich food for hard-working people.
- Allergy care: know the common allergens (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, fish) and tell customers clearly what is in a dish.
- Food education: explain to children and customers why healthy food matters, and cut food waste.
Social role
Cooks feed schools, hospitals, elderly homes, factories and disaster relief camps. They also keep local food culture alive and teach younger people. So the cook is a link between food, health and society.
Laws on health promotion
Because food reaches many people, governments make laws so that food is safe and people can eat healthily. Names differ by country, but the ideas are similar:
- Food safety laws set hygiene rules for kitchens, licences for food businesses, limits on additives, and rules for labels and allergen information. Examples: the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 in India (run by FSSAI); the Food Sanitation Act in Japan. Many kitchens also use HACCP, a system that finds the danger points in cooking and controls them.
- Licensing and training of cooks. In some countries (for example Japan, under its Cook Act) a person needs a licence to be called a cook. Elsewhere, food handlers need a hygiene certificate or training.
- Health promotion laws encourage healthy living: for example, Japan's Health Promotion Act and Food Education Basic Act, and national dietary guidelines or school meal rules in many countries.
- Public health and workplace rules: notify outbreaks, keep staff health records, and keep records of food source and temperature.
A cook who follows these laws protects customers, the business and themselves.
Safe temperatures a cook must know
Germs grow fastest between 5 °C and 63 °C, the danger zone. Keep cold food at 5 °C or colder, keep hot food at 63 °C or hotter, and do not leave food in the danger zone for more than about 2 hours in total. Cook poultry and minced meat until the middle reaches at least 75 °C.
Try it yourself
- In the 3D free-play step, tap Child, Older person, Patient and Worker one by one. Which plate has the most grain? Which has the least salt?
- At home, look at the salt on the table. Cook one dish with half the usual salt and add lemon juice or herbs. Ask your family if they notice.
- Watch how many times a family cook washes hands in one meal. Count them and discuss.
Key formulas and definitions
- Key idea: Safe food + Balanced plate + Right food for each person + Rules followed = a good cook
- Danger zone: 5 °C to 63 °C (cold ≤ 5 °C, hot ≥ 63 °C)
- Salt advice for adults: less than 5 g a day (WHO)
- HACCP = find danger points → set limits → check → fix → keep records
- Health promotion = helping people stay healthy before they fall ill
Worked examples
1. An adult should eat less than 5 g of salt a day. A school lunch plan has 2 g of salt per child. What percent of the daily limit is that, and why must a school cook be careful?
2 / 5 × 100 = 40%. One meal already uses 40% of the whole day's limit, and children eat other meals too, so the cook should add less salt and season with herbs and spices.
2. Cooked rice is left on the counter at 30 °C for 4 hours. Is it safe to serve? What should the cook have done?
No. 30 °C is inside the danger zone (5–63 °C), and 4 hours is more than the safe limit of about 2 hours, so germs may have grown. The cook should have kept it at 63 °C or above, or cooled it quickly and kept it at 5 °C or colder.
3. A care home kitchen plans a meal for an older resident who has trouble chewing and has high blood pressure. List three changes a cook makes.
1) Make the food soft or finely cut so it is easy to chew and swallow. 2) Use little salt and add herbs for taste. 3) Keep protein (dal, egg, fish or tofu) and vegetables in the meal so the resident gets enough nutrients. The cook also follows the dietitian's plan.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a cook's job is only taste. Safety, nutrition and rules matter as much.
- Cooking while ill with vomiting or diarrhoea. A sick cook can make many people ill.
- Serving the same plate to everyone. Children, older people and patients have different needs.
- Thinking laws are only for big restaurants. Food safety rules apply to every kitchen that feeds others.