A kitchen needs a lot of cleaning and other routine tasks daily to keep it clean and safe for food preparation. In a restaurant setting, the kitchen is one of the busiest parts where foods are prepared for their customers. You can find the chef, dish washer, cooker and kitchen helper most of the time in this area. A Kitchen Helper perhaps maybe a simple thing to do but without him in a kitchen could you imagine what will happen? Get to know the nature of a job of a kitchen helper so that you can appreciate them in you kitchen area.
What is a Kitchen Helper?
Kitchen Helper is someone who is responsible for fulfilling routine food services and other duties in the kitchen with a supervision from a designated kitchen supervisor. They maintain the kitchen as well as all the utensils and materials found in the kitchen and make sure they are clean and in proper condition.
Duties of a Kitchen Helper
Kitchen helper performs different duties and they work with other food service staff. Their main responsibility is to maintain and clean the kitchen area. The duties of a kitchen helper include a combination of the following:
- They are responsible for keeping the floor area neat. They need to mop and sweep the floor.
- They keep everything in kitchen areas clean and sanitized. They wash the tables, utensils, cabinets and other equipments in the kitchen that are used for food preparation.
- Another duty of a kitchen helper id to get rid of the trash on a regular basis. They replace garbage bags after the garbage is thrown and wash it too to make it clean and free from odor.
- Kitchen helpers also do food preparation. They work together with the cooks in preparing meals.
- They also assist the other kitchen staff in unloading shipment of foods and supplies that are needed in the kitchen.
- Above all, they kept everything in the kitchen in order. They need to pile the pans, pots and other kitchen utensils properly for ease in cooking.
Work Condition of a Kitchen Helper
Kitchen Helpers are on their feet most of the time of their duty. They work under pressure at busy mealtimes. They may need to work in close kitchen area, lift heavy equipments and work near an oven or grill. They may be assigned to carry trays, glassware and plates. They need to deal with the customers and even handle cash too. For some kitchen helper, they may be lucky to work in new kitchens that have modern technology equipments but some helpers need to deal the tough job in working in close area, standing for longer hours and prone to hazards such as falls, burns, injuries and slips. The working hours usually includes early in the morning and late in the evening. They too are required to wok during weekends and holidays. Kitchen helpers can be found in a restaurant, hotels, schools, hospitals and nursing homes.
Educational Requirements of a Kitchen Helper
If you want to work as a Kitchen Helper you need to have at least high school diploma, on-the-and job training experience. They need to undergo lessons on culinary arts, food service, food and nutrition and consumer services. It is considered as entry-level jobs that need only little or no previous work experience at all as long as they undergo training on food preparation, cleaning kitchen equipments and handling food safety.
Occupation and Progress of a Kitchen Helper
There will always be an increasing demand for kitchen helpers because a lot of people prefer to eat out in the restaurant. The jobs available will be in demand in restaurant industry. There will be more job openings available because kitchen helper will leave their jobs if they are paid lesser in full time hours. The wages of kitchen helpers usually varies from their employer. The pay is great for fine restaurants and hotels. There are kitchen helpers also that work full time and even get benefits in the process such as vacation leaver, sick leave and insurances.
Kitchen Helper is an entry level job but perhaps their services are needed in the kitchen area to deliver satisfying meal to their customers. They need to work in conjunction with other food service staff to ensure that the kitchen is well-managed and maintained.