Job description Institutional Cook in the West Coast–Northern Peninsula–Labrador Region

Find out what work is like for an institutional cook in Canada. This work description is applicable to all Cooks (NOC 63200).

Cooks

Description

Cooks prepare and cook a wide variety of foods. They are employed in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other health care institutions, central food commissaries, educational institutions and other establishments. They are also employed aboard ships and at construction and logging campsites. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Work week duration

Cooks usually work more than 40 hours per week.
More than 40 hours

Job duties

Here are some of the main activities and tasks that Cooks have to perform, and some of the physical demands they involve:

  • Prepare and cook complete meals or individual dishes and foods
  • Prepare and cook special meals for patients as instructed by dietitian or chef
  • Schedule and supervise kitchen helpers
  • Oversee kitchen operations
  • Maintain inventory and records of food, supplies and equipment
  • May set up and oversee buffets
  • May clean kitchen and work area
  • May plan menus, determine size of food portions, estimate food requirements and costs, and monitor and order supplies
  • May hire and train kitchen staff.

Physical demands Help - Physical Demands

  • Standing
  • Making repetitive motions
  • Handling material manually
  • Walking and running
  • Bending or twisting the body

Physical demands

Physical demands are the physical activities that the job requires the worker to do. Physical demands are selected according to the likeliness that workers will have to perform them for at least half of the time they spend at work.

Workplaces and employers

Here are the typical workplaces where Cooks are employed and some of their main characteristics:

  • Central food commissaries
  • Restaurants
  • Hotels
  • Hospitals and other health care institutions
  • Education institutions
  • Ships
  • Construction and logging camp sites

Work environment Help - Physical Work Environment

  • Indoors, environmentally controlled
  • Skin injury
  • Standard safety equipment
  • Extreme temperatures
  • Hazardous equipment, machinery, tools
  • Sound and noise
  • Biological agents

Physical proximity from others Help - Physical proximity from others

  • Close (at arm’s length)

Work environment

The work environment refers to the physical setting in which people work. The characteristics and conditions of the work environment are selected according to the likeliness that workers will be exposed to them at least once a week.

Physical proximity from others

Physical proximity from others refers to the physical distance between individuals in the workplace. The likeliness that the job requires to perform tasks while being physically close to other people is rated on a scale with 3 levels: "Somewhat close", "Close" and "Very close".

Related job titles

Here are some other related job titles that are found in the same occupational category (NOC 63200), and a list of similar occupations:

  • apprentice cook
  • cook
  • dietary cook
  • first cook
  • grill cook
  • hospital cook
  • institutional cook
  • journeyman/woman cook
  • licensed cook
  • line cook
  • second cook
  • short order cook

Similar occupations Help - Similar occupations

Similar occupations

This section lists other occupations that are part of the same broad occupational category as Cooks in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). These occupations involve similar core qualifications but involve different responsibilities. To see more similar occupations, use the Job Transition Tool.

Sources Occupational and Skills Information System & National Occupational Classification

Labour Market Information Survey
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