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4.3

Excellent rating - 4.3/5 (10900+ reviews)

Do you need help with meal preparation?

  • Home cooking
  • Cooking Lessons
  • Vegetarian meal preparation
  • Vegan meal preparation
  • Meal planning
  • … or anything else
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Recent Cooking reviews

Robyn’s cooking is amazing. She was punctual, clear with her communication and very efficient with her cooking. The food she cooked for us was amazing! Highly recommend.

Home cooking 1-2 a week

$80

Patricia is amazing and did an excellent job :) highly recommended

Help with cooking recipies each week

$100

Very friendly and open to ideas. Haven't tried all the meals yet (bought a week's worth) but they all look delicious, very fresh and well packed with ice. Portion size looks great too. Thanks T

Vegetarian Chef to prepare meals for pregnant wife

$200

Christine was very accomodating!

Weekly meal prep & delivery

$150

Amazing food, great company and pleasure to have around.

Home cooking

$40

Very happy with Susan and the assistance she gave me

Assist with Showering, Meal Prep and light domestic assistance

$40

What's the average cost of a cook

$80 - $220

low

$80

median

$150

high

$220

Low, median and high bar chart distribuiton

Average reviews for Cooking Services

based on 476 reviews

4.91

450
17
4
4
1

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Hire trusted Cooks with Airtasker

Cooking is one of those skills that takes a moment to learn but a lifetime to master. Those who choose to master it over a lifetime are generally highly sought after, and for good reason.

Whether you’re a catering company who needs a chef to help serve up food at a gala event, a restaurant who requires the short term assistance of a chef while they search for a long term staffer, or perhaps even a hopeless romantic who wants to engage the services of a private chef to make an anniversary particularly special, you can now gain access to a huge amount of talent, and all at the click of a button.

Simply tell us about the job that you’d like the chef to do and suggest what you’d be willing to pay, and you’ll soon begin to receive offers from available chefs. Each chef comes with ratings and detailed reviews of their previous work, so you can be confident that your chosen hire will be able to produce the sort of quality food that you require.

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Top Cooking related questions

Professional cooks usually have previous kitchen experience or qualifications. They’re paid to prepare food, either in a commercial environment, in people’s homes as a personal cook, or they may work from their own kitchen at home.

Yes. Most cooks specialise in a particular type of cooking, like baking, seafood, gluten-free, vegan, steaming, frying, or even a particular cuisine.

A professional cook doesn’t necessarily need any set qualifications, but it’s common for professional chefs to hold a certificate or have some work experience in a professional kitchen.

Professional cooks can give you a restaurant quality meal but in the comfort (and convenience) of your own home. If you’re hosting a dinner party, it means you can spend more time with your guests and minimise the clean up afterwards.

This will depend on whether your cook is assembling the meal at your place or at theirs. Generally, private catering chefs will bring all the ingredients, along with any specific appliances they need. However, they may use your basic utensils and servingware.

The price for a professional or personal cook is usually between $70-$200 when you hire through Airtasker. It could be more or less than this, depending on how many people they need to cater for, the cost of ingredients, and the time it’ll take them to prepare the meal.


Suggested reads about Cooking

What do cooking services include?

You can hire a cook to provide food for a range of meals and occasions, from home cooking and meal prep to specialty cooking and even dinner party catering. You can arrange cooking services to happen in your own kitchen or your cook can bring the food ready-prepared. Your chef will take care of everything from buying ingredients to cleaning up. Here’s what you can expect depending on your cooking service:

Home cooking
Want fresh meals in your home? Your home chef can either offer regular home cooking services where they cook multiple nights per week, or provide a one-off meal if you just need occasional help. Your private chef will ask if you have any food preferences or intolerances, how many people they need to cook for, and what appliances and equipment they can use. They’ll usually plan the meals ahead of time, purchase the ingredients, and freshly cook the meals in your kitchen, and then clean up before they go.

Baking
Want to impress your best friend with an amazing cake for her birthday party? Or perhaps it’s your turn to bring some baking to work for morning tea? Hire a pastry chef or professional baker to create a cake, biscuits, muffins, or something else tasty. They’ll ask you how many people you’re baking for, any flavour preferences, and any special decorations you’d like. Your baker will bake at their place and deliver the finished product to your home or office once it’s ready.

Dinner party chef
If you’re planning a dinner party with friends, why not hire a dinner party chef to help take all the stress out of hosting? Your professional cook will contact you to confirm the number of guests, what courses/canapes you’d like, and whether the event is formal or informal. They’ll usually prepare most of the food where the event is being held (whether at your home or at a venue) and clean up the kitchen after they’re done.

Specialty cooking
Cooking paleo, vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free can be a challenge, whether it’s for yourself, a family member, or for an event you’re catering. Fortunately, many cooks are experienced with a range of different food requirements, including food intolerances, special diets, and allergies. When you hire a cook, they’ll choose recipes and ingredients that are suitable, confirming any dietary requirements before they get started. They’ll be careful to avoid cross-contamination if they’re preparing alternative meals for certain members of your family or party.

Meal preparation & planning
If you struggle to come up with meal ideas and always find yourself short of time throughout the week, why not hire a cook to prep your meals for the week? Your personal cook will confirm how many meals you’d like, the number of people, and if you have any preferences. They’ll choose meals that keep well and are easy to store, and taste great fresh or reheated. They’ll either prepare the food in your kitchen (cleaning up afterwards) or drop your freshly prepared meals off when they’re done, packaged and ready for the fridge or freezer.

Recent Cooking tasks

Household clean iron easy meal prep

$45

Darlinghurst NSW 2010, Australia

29th Nov 2025

Light cleaning Change bedding every 3-4 days Laundry Ironing Easy meal prep when required $40-45 per hour

Hi can sometimes make me a plain chocolate cake no icing

$25

Deception Bay QLD, Australia

28th Nov 2025

To make a plain chocolate cake no icing

Birthday Cake

$160

Dundas Valley NSW 2117, Australia

27th Nov 2025

Create birthday cake with a money theme for 43rd birthday

Weekly meal prep

$100

Randwick NSW, Australia

27th Nov 2025

Am Looking for someone to do weekly meal prep ongoing for me. Would be batch cooking of : Breakfast – High-Protein Overnight Oats (5 Serves) Lunch – Lean Beef Mince + Jasmine Rice + Spinach/Kale (5 Meals) Dinner – Chicken Thighs + Potatoes + Broccoli/Zucchini (5 Meals) All groceries and containers supplied, ideally cooked somewhere of your choosing and delivery/pickup TBC

Meal prep

$30

Essendon VIC 3040, Australia

27th Nov 2025

Looking for someone to do my meal prep for next week

Personal chef for a hens party of 10 in Rye Tommorrow evening

$2,000

Rye VIC, Australia

27th Nov 2025

My Wife is arranging a Hens party this weekend for 10 ladies. Unfortuantely they have just been informed that the private chef they had arranged to cook dinner for them on Friday can no longer make it due to illness. So they are looking for a last minute replacement. An outline of the previously agreed menu is below to give you an idea as to what they are looking for. There is 1 vegan dietary requirement (the bride to be) but nothing else. The below is just for example and does not need to be followed exactly. Entrees (2–3 options)Burrata with roasted cherry tomatoes and basil: Serve a ball of burrata (or soft mozzarella) on a platter with warm roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and crusty bread for dipping. Smoked salmon blinis or crostini: Use store-bought blinis or toasted baguette slices topped with cream cheese or crème fraîche, smoked salmon, a squeeze of lemon and dill. Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus: Lightly blanch asparagus, wrap in prosciutto, drizzle with olive oil and roast until the prosciutto is crisp; serve with a squeeze of lemon. Mains – Lamb Herb-crusted roast lamb with tray-bake vegetables: Roast a lamb leg or lamb mini-roasts rubbed with garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and olive oil over a tray of potatoes, carrots and red onion so the vegetables cook in the juices. Mains – Fish Baked salmon with lemon and herbs: Place salmon fillets or a side of salmon on a tray, top with slices of lemon, garlic, dill or parsley and a drizzle of olive oil; bake until just cooked and serve with a simple green salad. Mains – VeganRoasted vegetable and chickpea tray bake with tahini drizzle: Roast capsicum, zucchini, red onion and cherry tomatoes with olive oil and spices, toss through a can of chickpeas, then finish with a quick lemon–garlic tahini sauce. You can round this out with shared bowls of green salad, warm bread, and a simple dessert like chocolate mousse or sorbet to keep prep relaxed but still special

Birthday theme

$1,000

Canberra ACT, Australia

27th Nov 2025

2nd birthday party we want you to decorate the party hall

Magician - 1 hour 22/23rd birthday

$50

Concord NSW, Australia

26th Nov 2025

Hi we want a magician for a shared mini birthday 22/23 year old girls. There will be about 10 people there and we want max around a 1 hour show.

Weeding and trimming

$120

Rosetta TAS, Australia

26th Nov 2025

Hi Peter, I can't find the pics you refer to but I am happy to do similar work to last time. My offer is for $120 for 2 hours work today. Additional time @$50/h. - View all the details of this offer: https://www.airtasker.com/offers/01KB0VBN1PERCHKAYKTNRX77DV

Great job we have used Robert twice now very happy with his work

Meal prep and cleaning

$350

Bulimba QLD, Australia

13th Nov 2025

Meal prep Household duties - washing, ironing etc Option to do some personal assistant / house manager work ongoing

Monica is very helpful and great communication ensured task was well delivered

Meal prep breakfasts and lunches

$100

North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia

2nd Nov 2025

Come over on Sat or Sun and meal prep for the upcoming week. To be done once a week.

Great job doing meal prep for kids breakfasts and lunches

Decorate hotel room for Husband’s birthday

$100

Broadbeach QLD 4218, Australia

11th Oct 2025

Need to get a bottle, helium balloons (gold with 3 and 0) and a cake. I’ll pay separately for all 3 things

AMAZING! Nothing else would justify how efficient Judith is. She gets you and the task and complete it exactly how you like it.

Meal preparation

$200

Mount Waverley VIC, Australia

8th Oct 2025

I’m looking to have someone help me with healthy meal preparation for a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 kids. I need the meals to be freezer friendly as I’m preparing to welcome a newborn and have run out of steam. I’ll shop for all ingredients needed and will require the meals to be prepared in my home. I’ll be available for hands on help on the day.

Highly recommend Eliza.

Weekly Meal Prep Cook Needed

$200

Docklands VIC 3008, Australia

4th Oct 2025

Weekly Meal Prep Cook Needed – High-Protein, Nutritious Meals (2x per week) Description: I’m looking for someone who can cook high-quality, high-protein meals for me every week. I eat 2 big meals per day, and I’m after food that’s nutritious, clean, and filling — mainly steak, chicken, fish, rice, veggies, and other healthy options. I run a business full-time and don’t have time to cook, so I’m after someone reliable who can handle the shopping, cooking, and meal prep side of things — ideally using fresh ingredients from the Vic Market or similar. You don’t need to be a private chef, but you should enjoy cooking and know how to make food that tastes amazing while being balanced and nutrient-dense. What’s Involved Cook twice per week (for example, Sunday & Wednesday) Prepare 10–12 meals total (2 large meals per day) Focus on protein-rich, nutrient-balanced meals Handle the shopping (budget provided) Portion and store meals (containers provided if needed) Keep the kitchen clean and tidy after prep Example Meal Types Rib-eye steak + buttered greens + roasted potatoes Grilled chicken + rice + seasonal vegetables Teriyaki salmon + stir-fried veg Lean beef mince bowls or wraps Protein pasta with lean meat and fresh herbs Budget Labour: $150 per week Ingredients: separate $150 - $200 food budget (paid by me) Looking for someone consistent who can work with me long-term. Ideal Candidate Enjoys cooking and meal prepping Understands high-protein / nutritious meals Clean, reliable, and efficient Ideally near Melbourne CBD or Docklands area Experience with gym-style meal prep or family cooking a plus To apply, please include: A short intro about you and your cooking experience Example meals or photos if available Your availability generally speaking.

Attentive, focused, professional…are just a few words to describe Christine! She is a fantastic caterer & cook, who saves me a lot of time and keeps me well nourished. 11/10!

House assistant for cleaning, laundry & healthy meal prep

$250

Burleigh Heads QLD, Australia

2nd Oct 2025

Looking for a reliable and proactive house assistant in Burleigh Heads to help keep my apartment running smoothly. Tasks include: - General cleaning & tidying (kitchen, bathroom, living area, floors) - Laundry (washing, drying, folding, ironing when needed) - Grocery shopping & restocking essentials - Healthy meal prep (simple, mostly repetitive easy meals, don't have to be a master chef ;)) - Occasional errands (e.g., picking up parcels, household items) What I’m looking for: - Someone organised, discreet, and trustworthy - Health-conscious and confident with simple, nutritious cooking - Positive, can-do attitude, notices what needs doing without being told Ideally available 1-2 times per week (hours flexible, can discuss) We’ll start with a trial for 1–2 visits, and if it’s a good fit, I’d love this to become a long-term role. Happy to pay above standard cleaning rates for the right person

Ren did a great job keeping our apartment clean and organized.

Need decorator for birthday party

$200

The Ponds, New South Wales

1st Oct 2025

You will have 1 and half hour (form 8:30am - 10am) before party to decorate the place. Its at a community hall in the ponds. Need decoration similar to pictures and also need table setup for 50 guests. You will also need to packup everything before 2:30pm.

Ana did a lovely job with the overall décor — everything looked beautiful and thoughtfully arranged. There were a few hiccups and the setup didn’t finish exactly on time, but considering she’s new and offered a very reasonable price, she did a commendable job overall.

Cake maker

$5

Brisbane City QLD, Australia

30th Sep 2025

Need someone to make a cake that looks like the image provided. Cake is to be 80cm long. Type of cake (mud,sponge etc) is negotiable but need it to look like the image. Delivery to Brisbane City 29 Nov PM. Delivery required at approx 9pm due to cake unable to sit out due to heat. Happy to negotiate a fair price for you 👍🏻

Job completed as described. Great communication after multiple changes on my end.

Chiffon cake for a birthday

$5

Prahran VIC 3181, Australia

28th Sep 2025

Looking for someone who can make a nice chiffon cake for my partner’s birthday. Nothing over the top, just light, fluffy and tasty. Something that can feed about 4 people I think maybe 6". Happy with classic flavours (vanilla, orange, earl gray, pandan, etc.) but open to ideas. Bonus points if it looks simple and elegant – not too fancy. Need it by 3rd october.

Absolutely fantastic! The chiffon cake was light, fluffy and delicious!!! you can tell it was made with care. Everything was smooth from start to finish: punctual, great communication and a genuinely lovely person to deal with. Highly recommend!

Cleaning, tidying, linen changes, laundry, meal prep & household task

$160

Balmain, New South Wales

19th Sep 2025

Cleaner / Housekeeper – General Help Needed (Rozelle) Looking for a friendly, reliable person to help us give our home a spring clean, so it's super tidy and organised and keep things running smoothly. Job Details: General clean and tidy of a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home Straightening up and making the house look organised and things away. Folding clean laundry, putting clothes on hangers and away in cupboards Meal prep for kids’ lunches and/or dinners Changing towels and bed sheets Wiping down surfaces, cupboard doors, mirrors, shower screens, and bathrooms We’re after someone who is thorough, takes pride in their work, and enjoys leaving a space feeling fresh and organised. Location: Rozelle, Sydney Timing: Ideally Friday mornings or afternoons (approx. 3–4 hours).

She was a great help, and found other things to tackle.

Cake making and decorating - RABBITOHS THEMED

$300

Willoughby, New South Wales

13th Sep 2025

Hey there, wanting to get a 40th themed Rabbitohs birthday cake made. Happy to pick up from Sydney area. Photos are for inspiration. Would love to see the types of cakes you’ve made.

I am so impressed and will definitely be using Adrianna again. Thank you thank you thank you 🙏🙏🙏