cooktochef
A cook already meets 59% of what the chef role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
59%
48.9/ 100
1 Share of the chef role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the cook profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A chef role treats 12 of its required skills as things a cook already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- control of expenses
- handover the food preparation area
- maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature
- plan menus
- store raw food materials
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cook background worth leading with.
- already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
- already held cook dairy products assisting and caring
- already held cook meat dishes assisting and caring
- already held prepare desserts assisting and caring
- already held prepare salad dressings assisting and caring
- already held cook sauce products assisting and caring
All 30 carried skills, including the 12 the chef role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held instruct kitchen personnel required
- required, not held think creatively about food and beverages required
- required, not held maintain customer service required
- optional, not held compile cooking recipes optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- required, not held develop food waste reduction strategies required
- required, not held manage staff required
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- required, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality required
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held cook fish optional
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- required, not held design indicators for food waste reduction required
- optional, not held set prices of menu items optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- required, not held food waste monitoring systems required
- required, not held types of whisks required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 instruct kitchen personnel skill · occupation specific
- 02 food waste monitoring systems knowledge · sector specific
- 03 think creatively about food and beverages skill · sector specific
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 30 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held handover the food preparation area skill
- already held maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held store raw food materials skill
- already held use cooking techniques skill
- already held use culinary finishing techniques skill
- already held use food cutting tools skill
- already held use food preparation techniques skill
- already held use reheating techniques skill
- already held work in a hospitality team skill
- already held check deliveries on receipt skill
- already held cook dairy products skill
- already held cook meat dishes skill
- already held cook sauce products skill
- already held cook seafood skill
- already held cook vegetable products skill
- already held create decorative food displays skill
- already held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area skill
- already held execute chilling processes to food products skill
- already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
- already held identify nutritional properties of food skill
- already held manage waste skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held prepare desserts skill
- already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
- already held prepare salad dressings skill
- already held prepare sandwiches skill
- already held train employees skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held compile cooking recipes optional
- optional, not held cook fish optional
- optional, not held cook pastry products optional
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
- optional, not held prepare canapés optional
- optional, not held set prices of menu items optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
20 held skills the chef role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise customers on seafood choices skill
- not needed by the target role advise on preparation of diet food skill
- not needed by the target role comply with standard portion sizes skill
- not needed by the target role composition of diets knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a diet plan skill
- not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
- not needed by the target role nutrition knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare bakery products skill
- not needed by the target role prepare dairy products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare egg products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare meat products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare ready-made dishes skill
- not needed by the target role prepare saucier products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepare vegetable products for use in a dish skill
- not needed by the target role prepared meals knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive kitchen supplies skill
- not needed by the target role seafood processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role slice fish skill
- not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held food waste monitoring systems required
- required, not held types of whisks required
- optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
Other moves recorded from cook
- pizzaiolo 79% covered · adjacent
- kitchen assistant 65% covered · moderate
- pastry chef 55% covered · moderate
- private chef 54% covered · substantial
- kitchen porter 49% covered · moderate
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- head pastry chef 31% covered · substantial
- head chef 30% covered · career change
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.