Cook

Summary This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center. Nutrition and Food Services is responsible for providing meals and nutritional care to Veteran patients at the Medical Center. The primary purpose of the Cook is to prepare nutritious - high quality meals for service to the Veterans. The position has a sequence of steps that require attention to work operations - sanitation and safety; work assignments may require knowledge and judgment. Qualifications To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required - but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge - skills - and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element - which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions - Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision Work Practices Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience - including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. - Peace Corps - AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. - professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies - knowledge - and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience - including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Duties Major duties and responsibilities include: Work assignments require knowledge and judgementThe work of this position involves the preparation of regular or special diet foods and mealsThis includes cooking meats - poultry - fish - shellfish - and vegetables and making soups - gravies - sauces - desserts - and other foodsMust be able to work independently to prepare and cook a variety of items including regular and therapeutic diet (diabetic - low sodium - low protein - gluten free - etc.) entrees and dessert itemsFollows menus - production sheets and recipes to prepare items in the quantity neededCook hot cereals - concentrated or dehydrated soups - sauces - graviesGrills eggs - hamburgers - meat patties - pancakes - French toastmakes cold sandwich fillings and assembles a variety of sandwichesUses a variety of methods to prepare meats - fish - and poultry including broiling - roasting - baking - frying - boiling - steaming - stewing - braising - and grillingSlices meat items by hand confirming specific size requirements or weight specificationsPrepare fresh - canned - and frozen vegetablesbakes frozen potatoes - pre-made cookie dough - muffin battersPrepares and heats convenience itemsprepares pureed foods and adjusts consistency with thickenersWash - peel and cut fruits and vegetables by hand or machineAssembles and mix salad ingredients and dessert items including gelatin molds and fruit crispsPlans cooking processes to produce complete meals on time and at the proper temperature which may require coordination of cooking several items with different cooking timesAttractively presents and garnishes foodPrepare a variety of desserts such as cobblers - brownies - cookies and pastriesWashes - peels - chops - grinds - pares - cuts - slices - dices - purees - dredges - flours - and bread itemsWeighs - measures - assembles ingredients for regular and modified dietsCombines ingredients according to recipes to produce quality food items - minimizing preparation time and food wastePans foods for bulk thermalization according to recipe guidelines and production guidelinesCovers - dates - and stores leftovers according to established local policies/proceduresOperates a variety of kitchen equipment: oven - combi oven/steamer - grill - slicer - mixer - steam kettles - blender - food processor - scalefollows safety procedures regarding the operation of equipmentFollows sanitary food handling procedurescovers - labels and dates food itemsutilize or discard ingredients by expiration dateDisassembles and assembles component parts and accessories for cleaningCleans - stores and maintains all kitchen utensils - equipment and work areas practicing a clean as you go conceptCleans and sanitizes assigned work areas: worktables - sinks - blast chillers - racks - cartsAchieves certification in food safety such as ServSafe and can apply knowledge of food safety - food temperatures - etcOperates dish machinechecks detergent level and water temperature before washing and sanitizing cook equipmentChecks equipment to make sure it is free of food residue and soapCleans ovens - combi/steamer - slicer - mixer - steam kettles - grill dailyCollects trash - sorts and prepares items for recyclingCleans floors - walls - and shelves assignedPerforms deep cleaning tasks such as cleaning walk-in refrigerators and freezersMay operate powered floor cleaning or steam equipment for deep cleaningPrepares food production worksheets from computerized recipe filesReceives - rotates and stores perishable and non-perishable items according to service policiesRemoves outdated or damaged goods from stockLabel all food items with contents and dates according to the labeling guidelinesWeighs - measures - and assembles ingredients accurately and according to standardized recipes or requisitionsMonitor and maintain proper spacing of food products from floor - ceiling and shelving to ensure adequate air flow and spacing of products for optimal food safetyMonitor for signs of pest notifying the appropriate individual as determined by local policyMaintain accurate food inventoriesHelps supervisors or higher-grade workers in ordering food in accordance with daily and weekly menu requirementsWork Schedule: 5:30am - 2:00pm - of 10:30am - 7:00pm Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99818S Physical Requirements: Is subject to continuous standing - walking - frequent bending - reaching - pushing - and pullingLifts or moves objects weighing up to 40 lbsunassisted and occasionally lifts or moves objects weighing more than 40 lbswith assistance of a lifting device or other workersManipulates cumbersome - heavy objects - such as washing stainless steel mixing bowls - pushing heavy carts on casters or operating heavy equipmentPossesses manual dexterity to operate equipment and to handle sharp knives and blades safelyUtilizes eye-hand coordination and the ability to concentrate and react quickly to serve food and operate equipment.