Prep Cook resume keywords and skills

Prep postings are short and practical. They ask whether you can cut fast and safely, follow a recipe by weight, and store food so it passes inspection. Kitchen managers skim for knife skills, FIFO, labeling and a food handler card, then for the equipment their kitchen runs. Use the posting's words for the tasks you do every shift, and add quantities where you can. Skip any term you could not show a chef on your first morning.

Check a posting for these keywords

Checked in your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded.

Job posting

Your resume (optional)

Paste a posting to see which of these 21 keywords it asks for.

Knife skills
Mise en place
Batch cooking
Recipe scaling
Standardized recipes
Stocks, sauces and dressings
Portion control
Food handler card
FIFO rotation
Labeling and dating
Time and temperature control
Cross-contamination prevention
Meat slicer
Food processor (Robot Coupe)
Steam kettle and tilt skillet
Vacuum sealer
Prep lists and par levels
Receiving and storage
Line support
Cleaning and sanitizing
Dishwashing

Prep Cook resume keywords

The bullets are writing models, not anyone's real results. Use a keyword only when you can back it with your own work.

Prep work

Knife skills: Every prep posting lists it. Name the cuts and the daily volume, such as cases of onions diced or pounds of fish portioned.; Used knife skills to dice, julienne and brunoise 4 cases of vegetables before lunch service.
Mise en place: Chefs use it to mean everything cut, measured and in place before service. On a prep resume it shows the line starts full because of you.; Prepared mise en place for five line stations each morning from the chef's prep list.
Batch cooking: Banquet, catering and commissary kitchens ask for it. Give the batch size so the reader can picture the scale.; Handled batch cooking of soups, grains and braises in 10 to 20 gallon quantities for three locations.
Recipe scaling: Shows you can do kitchen math without help. Mention a real conversion, such as taking a 10-portion recipe to 60.; Scaled recipes from 10 to 60 portions for banquet orders, converting between weights and volumes.
Standardized recipes: Chains, hotels and hospitals want every batch to taste the same. Say you weigh and measure instead of cooking by eye.; Followed standardized recipes by weight for all dressings, marinades and sauces.
Stocks, sauces and dressings: Many postings list the items prep cooks make from scratch. Name yours, because scratch cooking is harder to find than it sounds.; Made stocks, sauces and dressings from scratch, including 15 gallons of chicken stock twice a week.
Portion control: Prep cooks portion proteins and sides before service, which sets food cost. Mention the scale and the weights you cut to.; Maintained portion control by weighing 6-ounce salmon fillets and bagging sides to spec.

Storage and food safety

Food handler card: Required by many states and counties, often within 30 days of hire. Use the exact name on yours, such as ServSafe Food Handler.; Hold a current food handler card and completed the kitchen's food safety orientation.
FIFO rotation: First in, first out. Kitchen managers look for it because poor rotation turns into waste and failed inspections.; Organized two walk-in coolers on FIFO rotation, moving older product forward at each delivery.
Labeling and dating: Inspectors look at date labels early in a visit. Postings pair this with FIFO, and it is easy to show in one bullet.; Completed labeling and dating of every prepped item with the product name, prep date and use-by date.
Time and temperature control: The food safety rule behind cooling, holding and reheating. Mention the thermometer checks or cooling logs you fill out.; Followed time and temperature control rules, cooling soups from 135 to 41 degrees within six hours and logging each check.
Cross-contamination prevention: Postings ask for it in plain words or as part of food safety. Describe your boards, storage order and glove changes.; Prevented cross-contamination with color-coded cutting boards and by storing raw poultry on the lowest shelf.

Kitchen equipment

Meat slicer: Delis and sandwich kitchens name it, and federal child labor rules bar anyone under 18 from running one. Mention cleaning and the guard.; Operated a meat slicer for deli meats and cheeses, breaking it down and sanitizing it between products.
Food processor (Robot Coupe): Kitchens often write the brand name. List it if you have run one for slicing, shredding or purees.; Shredded cabbage and carrots and pureed sauces with a Robot Coupe food processor.
Steam kettle and tilt skillet: Found in banquet, hospital and school kitchens. Naming them tells a chef you have cooked in bulk.; Cooked soups in a 40-gallon steam kettle and braised meats in a tilt skillet for banquets of up to 300.
Vacuum sealer: Used for portioned proteins, marinades and sous vide prep. Add it when the posting mentions sous vide or cook-chill.; Portioned and bagged proteins with a vacuum sealer for sous vide cooking on the line.

Kitchen support

Prep lists and par levels: A prep cook who reads pars and writes the next day's list needs little supervision. That is what this term tells a chef.; Checked par levels at close and wrote prep lists for the morning crew.
Receiving and storage: Prep cooks usually take the morning delivery. Mention checking the invoice, temperatures and quality before signing.; Handled receiving and storage of daily deliveries, checking counts and temperatures against the invoice.
Line support: Postings often add restocking the line or jumping on a station during a rush. Say which stations you have covered.; Provided line support during dinner rushes by restocking stations and covering fry when needed.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Part of every kitchen job description. Be specific about boards, slicers, floors and the sanitizer you test.; Cleaned and sanitized prep tables, boards and equipment between tasks and checked sanitizer strength with test strips.
Dishwashing: Small kitchens expect prep cooks to cover the dish station. Listing it shows you will do what the shift needs.; Covered dishwashing on a three-compartment sink and a high-temperature machine when the dish station was short-staffed.

Prep Cook job description for a resume

Common duties written as resume bullets. Keep the ones you did and add your own numbers.

Wash, peel, cut and portion vegetables, fruits, meats and seafood for the line.
Prepare stocks, sauces, dressings and marinades from standardized recipes.
Work from the daily prep list and par sheet and finish all items before service.
Label, date and store prepped food and rotate stock first in, first out.
Receive deliveries, check them against the invoice and put product away at the right temperature.
Operate slicers, food processors, mixers and kettles safely and clean them after use.
Restock the line during service and help on a station when needed.
Clean and sanitize work surfaces, tools, walk-ins and floors through the shift.
Record cooling and storage temperatures on the kitchen's food safety logs.

Prep Cook resume summary examples

Entry level

Dishwasher with one year in a 100-seat restaurant, now handling morning prep three days a week. Holds a food handler card. Dices and portions vegetables from the prep list, labels and dates everything, and keeps the walk-in on FIFO. Looking for a full-time prep cook position to build knife skills and learn the line.

Experienced

Prep cook with 5 years in hotel banquet and restaurant kitchens. Preps for services of up to 400 covers, makes stocks, sauces and dressings from scratch and scales recipes for events. ServSafe Food Handler certified. Writes prep lists from par levels, receives deliveries and has trained six new prep cooks.

Phrases to replace on a prep cook resume

Prepped food for service
Say what and how much. Diced 4 cases of vegetables and portioned 60 pounds of chicken before lunch each day.
Kept the kitchen clean and organized
Name the system. Labeled and dated all prep and kept two walk-ins on FIFO rotation.
Hard worker who learns fast
Show what you picked up. Learned the fry station in two weeks and covered it during dinner rushes.

Prep Cook resume examples

See these keywords in a full resume, by experience level.

Entry Level Mid Level Senior Level Compare levels Before and after rewrites

Prep Cook resume keywords FAQ

What skills should I put on a prep cook resume?

Knife skills, mise en place, labeling and dating, FIFO rotation and a food handler card cover what most postings ask. Add batch cooking, recipe scaling and the equipment you have run, such as a slicer or steam kettle. Attach a quantity where you can. Cases, pounds and gallons tell a chef how much you get through in a morning.

What is a prep cook job description for a resume?

A prep cook cuts, portions and cooks ingredients ahead of service so the line can work from full stations. On a resume, describe that with your own numbers. Say what you prepped, how much, for how many covers and from whose recipes. Add storage, receiving and cleaning duties, because they take up a real part of the shift.

How do I write a prep cook resume with no experience?

Lead with a food handler card, which you can usually earn online before applying. Then list anything close to kitchen work, such as dishwashing, fast food, school culinary classes or cooking for large family or church events. Use the posting's terms only for tasks you have done, and say you are available for early shifts if you are.

Is prep cook the same as line cook on a resume?

No. A prep cook gets ingredients ready before service, and a line cook cooks orders during it. If you have done both, list them as separate duties and name the stations you covered. Applying for a line job with prep experience is common, so point to the days you backed up or ran a station.

Keywords for related roles

See how your prep cook resume scores

Upload it for a free review: a score, the weak lines and a rewrite for each.

Review my resume