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What is cookery?
Cooking isn’t simply about preparing and cooking food; it’s about being inventive and passionate about how you create these dishes.
By learning the many facets of cooking, you will understand how ingredients, techniques and different culinary styles interact with one another to create interesting and dynamic flavours.
Cooks and chefs can work in various environments, such as culinary management, food service, the hospitality industry, a patisserie, commercial cookery and world-class professional kitchens.
However, there are a few factors to consider. You will have to work long hours, many of your shifts will be during the evening, and you’ll be on your feet for most of it.
Salaries vary depending on where you work and what position you have. Generally speaking, a commercial chef earns between $37,000 to $48,000 per year.
Skills needed for cookery
Technical skills:
- Cooking techniques (e.g.: grilling, frying, etc)
- Food preparation skills (e.g.: how to plate up, checking the quality of the ingredients)
- Safety and hygiene knowledge
- An understanding of the equipment that you use
- Knowledge of food nutrition and food technology
General skills and qualities that will help:
- Know how to keep calm under pressure
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent multi-tasking skills
- Enjoy a fast-paced job
- Teamwork skills
- Management skills (e.g.: supervising cooks)
Jobs in cookery
- Head chef
- Pastry chef
- Commercial chef
- Sous chef
- Kitchen manager
- Banquet Chef
- Caterer
- Executive Chef
How do you get a job in cookery?
You don’t need a university degree to get into this field; in fact, a lot of the education comes from working low-level positions and slowly rising to the top.
However, if you want to get ahead or simply want to make yourself look more appealing to employers, there are plenty of short courses you can complete in less than a year, such as the New Zealand Certificate in Cooking, which is held by an online cooking school.
There are also plenty of cookery courses to choose from, which provides cooking apprenticeships that can kickstart your career.
However, if you want to take that extra step and get into management, there are bachelor programs, providing you with higher education in business and cookery.
