Working as a Chef in a Hospital Kitchen

When was the last time you heard someone crack a joke about hospital food? In the past, hospital meals had a reputation for being bland and tasteless.

Sure, no one expects a four-star restaurant when staying in the hospital, but tasty, nutritious food still plays an important role in patient well-being.

Patients are more informed about nutrition than ever before. They want to know what’s in the foods they eat. Moreover, many people follow restricted diets, including gluten-free or vegetarian. It’s important for chefs’ to meet the needs of these patients.

Everyone knows you should eat a well-balanced meal, and anyone admitted to the hospital assumes the food will be more nutritious than most.

However, if patients don’t like how the food looks or tastes, they won’t eat it. In fact, nearly 51 percent of patients leave most of their food uneaten.

Patients want foods they recognize and crave. Instead of serving unappetizing meals, hospitals should find a way to serve “comfort foods” without the bad ingredients.

While you won’t find a deep fryer in most hospital kitchens, it’s still possible to make palatable and healthier French fries in the oven.

When patients have access to foods they enjoy, they are more likely to get the nutrients they need to make a full recovery.

Hospitals exist to make people better, and hospital food helps prevent malnutrition. However, there’s no reason for hospitals to sacrifice taste when it comes time to serve dinner.

Offering delicious and nutritious food options to patients is one of the best ways to reduce readmission rates and create a healthier community.

What skills do you need to work in a hospital kitchen?

As a hospital chef, you prepare and cook foods following precise recipes that are designed to provide a high-quality nutritional meal for patients to aid their recovery. These national recipes also contribute to efficient spend, ensuring portion control to contributing to the reduction of food waste. A hospital chef ensures that strict food safety standards are followed, ensuring the meals served are safe for consumption.

The duties of a hospital chef include:

Preparing meals to meet the patients’ dietary or cultural requirements.

Providing healthy food that is appealing to encourage patients to eat.

Preparing meals for general Hospital Restaurants and occasional buffet/function requests.

Control of food safety and quality through continuous monitoring of food temperature.

Cleaning of the main kitchen and equipment in accordance with cleaning specifications and hygienic standards as with any commercial kitchen.

What are the benefits of working for TCT?

When you join The Chef Tree you will be entitled to the following amazing benefits;

Competitive rates of pay. Our current rate for a cook is £16ph.

Our Monthly Bonus Scheme - Complete 166 hours per month (just under 38.5 hours per week) and you will receive £100 bonus. This will be paid monthly.

Our Refer a Chef scheme – If you refer a chef to us you will receive £150 when the chef completes 5 shifts. The chef you refer will receive £75 on completion of 5 shifts.

Access to our online benefit partners, Pirkx - a benefit scheme for courses, health, wellbeing, shopping and more! For more information visit www.pirkx.com