Job description: Cook in Australia
Duties, requirements, interview questions and a template ready for you to advertise your vacancy today.
Role summary
A cook prepares and cooks dishes to the recipes and standards of the kitchen, quickly enough for service and consistently enough for customers to return. The role covers preparation, cooking, plating, stock rotation and strict food hygiene. In a restaurant, the cook largely decides the quality of the food, the cost of each plate and whether the kitchen passes its health inspections.
Main duties
- Prepare ingredients before service by washing, cutting, marinating and portioning to recipe
- Cook and plate dishes to the standard recipes, portions and presentation of the menu
- Coordinate the timing of orders so that every dish for a table is ready together
- Check deliveries for quality, quantity and temperature, and store food correctly at once
- Label, date and rotate stock using first in, first out, to minimise waste
- Clean and sanitise the work station, equipment and utensils during and after each shift
- Monitor and record refrigerator, freezer and cooking temperatures as food safety rules require
- Report low stock, equipment faults and any hygiene concern to the head chef or manager
- Handle allergens carefully, avoiding cross-contamination and following the allergen information for each dish
Typical requirements
- Year 12 certificate or equivalent; a culinary certificate or diploma is an advantage
- One to two years of experience in a professional kitchen of similar style and volume
- Food hygiene or food handler certificate, as required in the country
- Knowledge of basic cooking techniques, knife skills and food safety principles such as HACCP
- Availability for early preparation shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays, including split shifts
- Stamina to work standing in a hot, fast-paced environment
Key skills
Vacancy template ready to copy
Replace the fields in square brackets with your company details.
Cook — [Company name]
At [Company name] we are looking for a cook to strengthen our kitchen team in [City]. The role involves preparing and cooking dishes to our recipes, keeping the station clean and organised and maintaining food safety standards, in a kitchen that works with good ingredients and mutual respect.
Responsibilities
- Prepare ingredients before service by washing, cutting, marinating and portioning to recipe
- Cook and plate dishes to the standard recipes, portions and presentation of the menu
- Coordinate the timing of orders so that every dish for a table is ready together
- Check deliveries for quality, quantity and temperature, and store food correctly at once
- Label, date and rotate stock using first in, first out, to minimise waste
- Clean and sanitise the work station, equipment and utensils during and after each shift
- Monitor and record refrigerator, freezer and cooking temperatures as food safety rules require
- Report low stock, equipment faults and any hygiene concern to the head chef or manager
- Handle allergens carefully, avoiding cross-contamination and following the allergen information for each dish
Requirements
- Year 12 certificate or equivalent; a culinary certificate or diploma is an advantage
- One to two years of experience in a professional kitchen of similar style and volume
- Food hygiene or food handler certificate, as required in the country
- Knowledge of basic cooking techniques, knife skills and food safety principles such as HACCP
- Availability for early preparation shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays, including split shifts
- Stamina to work standing in a hot, fast-paced environment
What we offer
- Salary: [Salary]
- Benefits: [Benefits]
- Location: [City]
Interested in this vacancy? Apply today.
How to hire a cook
Always hold a cooking trial
A paid trial during a real service shows speed, cleanliness, technique and temperament under pressure. One hour in the kitchen reveals what no CV can, and it lets the candidate judge the workplace as well.
Describe the kitchen honestly
A hotel kitchen, a fast-food line and a small restaurant differ in pace and technique. The advert should state the cuisine, the daily covers, the station and the hours, including split shifts.
Watch hygiene habits closely
During the trial, handwashing, separate chopping boards, tasting with clean spoons and wiping down the station are the things to observe. Poor hygiene is hard to retrain and puts the whole business at risk.
Ask about recipe discipline
A cook who improvises portions and seasoning undermines consistency and food cost. Questions about following standard recipes show whether the candidate respects the system of the kitchen.
Check reliability with previous chefs
Kitchens depend on every station being covered. A call to a former head chef about punctuality, attendance and behaviour during busy services is worth more than a written reference.
Interview questions for cook roles
Which kitchens have you worked in, and which stations did you cover?
What to look for: Experience matching the style and volume of the kitchen, described specifically.
How do you organise your station before a busy service?
What to look for: Thorough preparation, checked quantities and everything within reach before the first order.
What would you do if several orders arrived at once and you began to fall behind?
What to look for: Prioritises, communicates with the pass and colleagues and keeps quality without panicking.
How do you prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked food?
What to look for: Separate boards, utensils and storage, handwashing and correct temperatures.
How would you prepare a dish for a customer with a nut allergy in a kitchen that uses nuts every day?
What to look for: A clean board, pan and utensils, a check of every ingredient label and a clear word to the pass, with no guessing.
How did you react when a dish of yours was sent back from the table?
What to look for: Accepts it calmly, corrects it quickly and looks for the cause without blaming others.
How do you keep food waste under control at your station?
What to look for: Correct portions, rotation, sensible preparation quantities and use of trimmings.
What would you do if you noticed that the refrigerator was above the safe temperature?
What to look for: Reports it at once, checks the food affected and follows the safety procedure.
Shortlist better with the Saplic ATS
Posting the vacancy is the first step. The Saplic recruitment system organises everything that comes afterwards.
Free, no credit card required
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Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements for a cook in Australia?
The most common ones in vacancies are: year 12 certificate or equivalent; a culinary certificate or diploma is an advantage; one to two years of experience in a professional kitchen of similar style and volume; food hygiene or food handler certificate, as required in the country.
Is a culinary qualification necessary to hire a cook?
Not usually. Many excellent cooks trained on the job. A qualification provides technique and food safety knowledge, which is useful, but performance in a practical trial is the true test. The food hygiene or food handler certificate is different: where the law requires it, it is mandatory.
What should be observed during a cooking trial?
Organisation of the station, knife technique, cleanliness, respect for the recipe, speed, the taste and presentation of the dish, and behaviour towards the rest of the team. How the candidate reacts when corrected is particularly revealing, since kitchens depend on instructions being accepted instantly.
How much does it cost to advertise cook vacancies on Saplic?
Nothing. Posting the vacancy is free and no credit card is required. The recruitment system for organising the people who apply is free as well.