Skip to main content

Cook

Hospitality & Tourism

Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Hospitality & Tourism

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
  2. 2Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
  3. 3Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
  4. 4Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
  5. 5Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
  6. 6Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
  7. 7Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
  8. 8Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
  9. 9Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
  10. 10Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
  11. 11Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
  12. 12Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
  13. 13Keep records and accounts.
  14. 14Prepare relishes and hors d'oeuvres.
  15. 15Estimate expected food consumption, requisition or purchase supplies, or procure food from storage.
  16. 16Consult with supervisory staff to plan menus, taking into consideration factors such as costs and special event needs.
  17. 17Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.
  18. 18Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.
  19. 19Butcher and dress animals, fowl, or shellfish, or cut and bone meat prior to cooking.
  20. 20Plan and price menu items.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Cook
  • Saucier
  • Fry Cook
  • Line Cook
  • Prep Cook
  • Grill Cook
  • Larder Cook
  • Pizza Maker
  • Prep Person
  • Banquet Cook

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

AgricultureDraws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Home Science (SRT)Draws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Food Production68%

    AgricultureHome Science (SRT)

  • English Language62%

    English

  • Customer and Personal Service53%
  • Production and Processing46%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Education and Training43%
  • Mathematics43%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicA little
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

8%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Chef

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

Related careers

If this interests you, these are worth a look too.

About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Cooks, Restaurant

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org