Find an experienced cook near you

Fill in a short form and get free quotes for professional cooking services

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
It only takes 2 minutes. And it's free.
Up to 50% cheaper than franchise dealers
No job too big or small
Free insurance coverage
Secure cashless payments
Same day or next day service at no extra cost

Best rated cooks near me

Recent Cooking reviews

Super easy, no muck around, would highly recommend Pamela!

Deliver a birthday cake

$40

Delivered promptly, meals look great! Looking forward to trying them

Weekly Meal Prep

$100

Christine has been lovely to work with. Her communication has been great and the task was completed as required. Highly recommend!

Twice a week meal prep

$50

Great job thank you so much. :) Punctual and professional.

Meal prep for one person- recipes provided

$90

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 480 reviews

4.9

453
16
5
4
2

What is Airtasker?

Post your task

Post your task

Tell us what you need, it's FREE to post.

Review offers

Review offers

Get offers from trusted Taskers and view profiles.

Get it done

Get it done

Choose the right person for your task and get it done.

Now Available
  • Get it done now. Pay later.
  • Repay in 4 fortnightly instalments
  • No interest
  • Available on payments up to $1,500

639+

Tasks successfully completed

1

Average amount of offers per task

3

 hrs

Average time to receive offers

Statistics from the most recent tasks on Airtasker over the last 4 years.

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.

So what are you waiting for? Get a free, no obligation quote today!

Offers in no time

Start getting offers to do your task ASAP!

Local, skilled pros

Take your pick of skilled Cooks nearby.

Real reviews

Judge for yourself – every task gets a review.

Flexible pricing

Choose the offer that’s right for you.

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

First birthday decoration

$300

Wyndham Vale VIC, Australia

2nd Jul 2025

first birthday party decorations for baby girl at a hotel

Chinese cooking classes

$50

Loganlea QLD, Australia

1st Jul 2025

Tutor required for NDIS participate to teach her Chinese cooking.

Home cooking services

$25

Rowville VIC 3178, Australia

1st Jul 2025

Looking for someone that can prepare home cooked Indian (and other) meals other for a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children under 5). Ideally, we'd like someone that can bulk prepare weekly or bi-weekly meals. Initially looking to trial with a view to move to a permanent/semi-permanent arrangement. Happy to chat through any details/specifics

Mini cupcakes for school birthday

$120

Quakers Hill NSW 2763, Australia

30th Jun 2025

36 Vanilla Mini Cupcakes Minecraft themed for birthday at school A list of ingredients is required

Need a cake

$75

Cranbourne East VIC 3977, Australia

29th Jun 2025

I need a cake for 10-12 servings. Can suggest me a design i don't need a very fancy one. It is for a Gender Reveal party.

Weekly Meal Prep Cook – Nut-Free, Kid-Friendly Meals

$100

Forest Lodge NSW, Australia

29th Jun 2025

I’m looking for someone to help with weekly meal prep for my two kids. One has a severe tree nut allergy, so food safety and strict allergy awareness is essential – absolutely no nuts in the house or meals. The meals also need to be: • Simple (my other child is a fussy eater!) • Kid-friendly – think schnitzel, plain pasta, crumbed meats, veggies • Prepared in a nut-free environment • Ideally cooked at my home in Forest Lodge (Sydney) • Prep for 5-7 dinners per week Looking for someone who is: • Experienced with food allergies and cross-contamination prevention • Comfortable cooking basic, nutritious meals • Reliable and efficient You bring the food, or I can shop if you give me a list. Budget is flexible based on experience and inclusions. Let me know your availability, experience, and rate. Thanks!

Present delivery for birthday

$50

Caloundra QLD, Australia

28th Jun 2025

Hey Bradley, hoping to see if this is a task you would complete as I wont be in town for the burthdat and want him to feel special still. Lookig at present ideas and hoping to get a delivery quote please. Likely something from that same area

Deliver a Cake - Annandale to Gosford

$90

Annandale NSW, Australia

26th Jun 2025

Pick up a kid’s birthday cake (one layer, decorated but nothing crazy) from baker in Annandale after 10am and deliver to Gosford

Job done quickly, lots of communication, I never had to worry about

Chadstone

$45

North Melbourne VIC, Australia

24th Jun 2025

Caneles French Baked Cakes - View all the details of this offer: https://www.airtasker.com/offers/01JYGJGRGFYG1YREHFMTFNNP6Y

Arrived right on time very punctual and professional. The delivery was smooth, handled with care and efficiency. Highly recommend!

Weekly meal prep

$100

Coburg VIC 3058, Australia

14th Jun 2025

Weekly meal prep for drop off in Coburg

Adam was very nice but the food was over salted and desert was a pretzel in yogurt. Appreciate the effort but will not use again.

Meal Prep

$100

Coorparoo QLD, Australia

10th Jun 2025

5 X meals for lunch (I lunch at 11:30) 5 afternoon snacks - (for 2pm) Not too heavy as gym/exercise most days afterwork Dinners - Perhaps 2 Freezer friendly dinners at a later stage depending but can discuss later on. Have you provided this service before? What meals/snacks would you offer? What would you charge? Thanks

Top communicator through and through. A slight delay but just because log gets in the way sometimes. You’d be inhuman to hold that against anyone. Will happily work with Raennon again

I need a private chef for a dinner for two (vegetarian)

$400

Berwick VIC 3806, Australia

8th Jun 2025

I’m organizing a little date night for myself and my husband. He’s a vegetarian and I’m not but I’m also happy to have vegetarian if it makes the meal easier… I’m looking for at least 3-4 course fine dining meal by an experienced chef, I’m open to most cuisines!!

Above and beyond is an understatement!! Janet is a wonderful cook

Looking for afternoon help (now till July) with housework + meal prep

$110

Rose Bay, New South Wales

2nd Jun 2025

We’re a relaxed, loving family based in the Eastern Suburbs. Our home is lively and full of energy, with young children, a baby, and two parents who work and juggle a lot! We value kindness, clear communication, and people who enjoy being part of a warm, respectful household. We’re looking for someone who’s comfortable with the rhythm of family life, happy to lend a hand with tidying, cooking simple meals, and keeping things running smoothly in the afternoons. You’ll be appreciated, trusted, and treated as part of the team.

Great! Highly recommend

Home cooking help req. Joondalup Weekly

$90

Joondalup WA 6027, Australia

31st May 2025

Hello! I’m a 30 yo woman looking for home cooking assistance at my place in Joondalup for 2-3 hours weekly… on Sundays ideally, but I’m flexible! It will mostly be chopping/ slicing/ dicing so good knife skills and experience in the kitchen is essential. The pay will be hourly so please let me know your rate for 2 hours + Airtasker fee 👇 Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you!

thanks for your help!

Indian cooking and meal prep (ongoing weekly $30/hr)

$5

Croydon Hills VIC 3136, Australia

30th May 2025

Indian cooking and meal prep weekly for a family of 4 people. 2 adults and 2 kids (1 and 5 yrs old). Ideally would like it regularly 1 day per week, so that cooking, packing and freezing can be done for a week. Also cleaning/tidying the kitchen after cooking will be preferred. Will to pay $30/hour and of course can work out different payment pattern once a routine and relationship is built.

Jill was great throughout. Will definitely recommend 👍

Organic meal prep

$5

South Yarra, Victoria

28th May 2025

Looking for someone to provide organic and gluten free meal prep - breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 days. See attached image for desired daily protein/fats etc below. No seed oils or preservatives please and if using fish I prefer a low mercury type of fish. I am keen to avoid plastic containers so can supply Pyrex containers if that is easier. I’m happy to collect the meals or have them delivered to South Yarra. Happy to discuss what works best.

Lovely to deal with!

Bake 80 Vanilla Cupcakes

$200

Narrabundah ACT, Australia

23rd May 2025

I need 80 vanilla cupcakes baked in pink papers for a bridal shower. They do not need to be iced. Happy to provide payment for supplies and labour time.

Madeline is lovely to speak with and got this job done so well and efficiently! She was super thorough with her communication and attention to detail

Cake maker for jelly cat cake

$120

Mosman, New South Wales

17th May 2025

Cake maker to make jelly cat birthday cake For Saturday 25th May 2025 and deliver to us in Mosman, or I can pickup locally. To feed 6.

Kelly was amazing! She asked clarifying questions about the brief, made suggestions, provided options and alternatives, and the cake is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks Kelly. We’ll be back for more cake in future!

Help Wanted: Home Cooked Meals + Laundry Folding (2x/Week)

$90

Mermaid Waters QLD, Australia

17th May 2025

We’re a busy family with two little ones, and we’re looking for a lovely, reliable person to help us keep the home running smoothly! What we need each week: • Cook 1–2 fresh dinners during your visit (family-friendly, healthy meals – nothing fancy, just yummy and nourishing!) • Prepare a few freezer meals we can reheat on busy nights • Fold and put away laundry (a couple of baskets) • Do the online grocery shop for the meals you’ll be cooking – we’ll reimburse the shop separately When: 2 visits per week (days are flexible – we can work with your schedule) Time required: Approx. 3 hours per visit We’re looking for someone who: • Is confident in the kitchen and loves home cooking • Can plan a few simple meals and shop accordingly • Is efficient, trustworthy, and kind • Has their own ABN or Airtasker account with reviews preferred If this sounds like a fit, we’d love to hear from you! Please tell us a bit about yourself and any relevant experience. Thanks so much!

Sophia is extremely friendly, helpful and would highly recommend