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  • Meal planning
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Hire trusted Cooks with Airtasker

Cooking is one of those skills that take 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 that 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!

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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 specialize 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 minimize the clean-up afterward.

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 flavor 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 afterward) or drop your freshly prepared meals off when they’re done, packaged and ready for the fridge or freezer.

Recent Cooking tasks

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Lockhart, FL 32810, USA

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I throwing my grand baby a 15th birthday party this friday need decorator

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Meal prep twice a month on four weeks or meals

Help decorate first birthday party

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Need someone who can help with making a balloon arch and hanging other decorations such as a photo backdrop and various streamers and flags for a fiesta themed party.

Birthday one year old

$100

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730, USA

Feb 16th 2024

I need a gift wrapping service for : One year old Birthday girl who loves Winnie the Pooh; using beige and sandy white colored ballooons

Prepare weekly meal prep

$150

Seattle, WA 98166, USA

Feb 13th 2024

I have a dog who is highly sensitive to certain things, so we prepare his food weekly. I have been very busy and have not had the time to do so, and I would like someone to prepare his weekly meals and deliver them to me. I would be providing all of the ingredients needed.

Birthday decorations

$50

Lake Forest, CA 92630, USA

Feb 4th 2024

I want birthday decorations for her first birthday, I celebrate it in a restaurant I want you to come in the restaurant and decorate - Due date: Needs to be done on Saturday, March 2, 2024

Wedding cake pick up and delivery

$150

Gardena, CA, USA

Jan 20th 2024

I would require a wedding cake cake pick up at a bakery in Gardena and delivered to a venue in downtown LA. - Due date: Needs to be done on Saturday, April 20th, 2024 at 4:30.

Need a Sweet Lady Jane Triple Berry Cake

$200

Los Angeles, CA 90019, USA

Jan 18th 2024

I'm looking for someone to either find me or make me the Sweet Lady Jane Triple Berry Cake. Anyone have one in their freezer? Their bakeries closed recently and I needed one for my husband's birthday in 2 weeks... I don't have the cake recipe but I can try to find one if you can't. Thank you! - Due date: Needs to be done on Thursday, February 1, 2024

Cake topper Kanye west

$80

Fullerton, CA 92832, USA

Jan 13th 2024

To make a cake topper for my sons birthday of Kanye west - Due date: Before Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Round white cake with the beer Modelo design

$50

Garden Grove, CA 92844, USA

Jan 13th 2024

May I send apicture of what is expected? - Due date: Needs to be done on Friday, January 19, 2024

Birthday decorator

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Phoenix, AZ 85048, USA

Jan 12th 2024

Need to decorate my house for my son 1st birthday - Due date: Needs to be done on Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Custom Birthday cake

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San Bernardino, CA 92404, USA

Jan 10th 2024

Heart shaped Yellow colored buttercream frosting bday cake w/ “Capricorn szn” in chocolate mold letters. Marble flavored. - Due date: Needs to be done on Friday, January 12, 2024

Once or twice a week meal prep, three meals a day for two people.

$400

West Hollywood, CA 90046, USA

Jan 9th 2024

Looking for three meals a day, for the entire week. Delivered once or twice a week. For two people. We workout regularly and are looking to build muscle and loose fat--so meals should be clean, healthy, and meet specific caloric needs. Also need them to fit specific macro needs with fat, carbs and protein. High protein is important, while still being mostly plant-based (some eggs, fish and chicken ok). - Due date: Flexible

I need some one to meal prep food for me every Sunday at my House.

$200

North Hollywood, CA 91607, USA

Jan 9th 2024

I need a meal prep for during the week for 1 person for 3 meals for days. - Due date: Flexible

Decorate for my mom’s 80th birthday party at a restaurant

$500

Arlington, VA 22207, USA

Jan 6th 2024

I’m not creative - so need someone to design and install fantastic wall decorations. I can have florals made if i know what flowers to purchase. - Due date: Needs to be done on Saturday, January 20, 2024

Recreating Cake from Sweet Lady Jane

$100

Los Angeles, CA, USA

Jan 3rd 2024

I’m devastated that my favorite bakery, Sweet Lady Jane, closed unexpectedly. Looking for someone to recreate their Triple Berry Cake. For reference — https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2024-01-02/sweet-lady-jane-closing-triple-berry-cake - Due date: Flexible

Party decorator

$1,000

Fontana, CA 92337, USA

Jan 3rd 2024

I would like a back drop, with balloons and flowers. Butterfly pink theme, it’s a birthday party/baptism party - Due date: Needs to be done on Friday, April 26, 2024

Meal preparation

$100

Richmond, VA 23230, USA

Jan 2nd 2024

Meal preparation for the week - Due date: Flexible

Shorten women's slacks

$10

Lincoln, CA, USA

Jan 2nd 2024

new women's slacks are about 1/2 too long - Due date: Needs to be done on Friday, January 5, 2024

Weekly meal prep

$150

Albuquerque, NM 87124, USA

Jan 1st 2024

Need healthy, low calorie tasty meals. Macro balance would be awesome but not essential . - Due date: Flexible