A cooking coach helps people buy the right meal ingredients, follow a recipe, and cook and serve food properly. A cooking coach may give instructions such as outlining a recipe’s ingredients, explaining which utensils to use, and identifying the temperatures to use when cooking various meats. Cooking instructors can be found in cooking schools, restaurants, and grocery stores. Some people teach from afar by hosting TV shows, making videos, or maintaining websites. Some cooking coaches frequently travel to people’s homes to demonstrate cooking techniques.
A cooking coach’s main goal is to teach people how to cook. Cooking coaches usually obtain their knowledge and skills through a formal culinary education and/or extensive cooking experience. In a cooking school, a coach might work with new students. In a restaurant, it’s also common to lead a large group of cooking assistants, sharing tips on how to choose fresh ingredients and coordinate cooking tasks. Some grocery stores also employ cooking coaches who interact with customers and provide answers to questions such as which flour to use for gluten-free cake or how long to soak beans.
Some cooking instructors teach through television shows and videos, while others run their own websites. A cooking coach’s typical responsibilities include choosing a dish to cook, providing an ingredient list, and guiding viewers or readers through detailed steps. Instructions on where to find rare ingredients for a cultural dish or how to tell if a particular fruit is ripe may also be provided. Other areas of instruction include which cooking utensils to use and how to serve the food. Students usually benefit from the ability to replay or reread the coach’s instructions when learning from a videotape or a website.
Cooking coaches who travel to private homes can help people improve their cooking skills. This type of coach will usually have a pre-conversation with the client to agree on a specific dish. The client and coach may meet at the grocery store to select the right ingredients for the meal, depending on the circumstances. The coach then demonstrates how to slice foods, provides ideal cooking temperatures, cooks items in a specific order, and explains how to avoid burning or undercooking food in the home. Coaches who work one-on-one with clients frequently bill by the hour or by the project.