Decide what the cook will actually cook
"A good cook" means different things in different homes. For one family it means perfect daal chawal and fresh roti every day. For another it means continental dinners for guests twice a week. Cooks know their own strengths, and the right match comes from being specific.
- Which meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, evening tea, or a mix
- How many people, and how often guests come
- Cuisines: Pakistani home food, BBQ, Chinese, continental, baking
- Diet needs: diabetic, low oil, low salt, food for a baby or an elderly parent
- Whether the cook will also do the grocery shopping
- Whether kitchen cleaning and dishes are part of the job
A cook who handles three meals for eight people, with guests on weekends and the shopping, is doing a full-time job and a half. A couple who want lunch and dinner may only need a part-time cook for a few hours a day.
Cook, chef or kitchen helper?
In Pakistani homes the words overlap, but there is a useful distinction. A home cook handles everyday family meals. A chef usually has restaurant or hotel experience, a wider menu, and expects to plan rather than follow instructions. A kitchen helper preps, chops and washes up for a cook.
Larger households sometimes hire a cook and a helper together. If your cook is overstretched, adding a helper is often better than asking the cook to rush.
Taste before you decide
Interviews tell you little about cooking. A trial does. Ask each shortlisted candidate to cook two dishes your family eats often, plus one they choose to show their skill. Agree that the trial is paid and that you will buy the ingredients.
Watch more than the taste. Notice whether they wash their hands and the vegetables, how they handle raw chicken, how much oil and salt they use, and whether the kitchen is clean when they finish.
| What to watch | Good sign | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Hygiene | Washes hands, separate board for raw meat | Same knife from chicken to salad |
| Planning | Asks how many people and what time | Starts without asking anything |
| Waste | Uses leftovers sensibly | Throws away half the ingredients |
| Clean-up | Cleans as they go | Leaves a pile of pots for later |
Set up grocery money the right way
Grocery money is where trust is built or broken. The fairest system is simple: give a fixed weekly float, ask for receipts or a written list with prices, and check it together once a week. It protects the cook from suspicion as much as it protects you.
Agree which shops to use. Many families in F-7 and F-6 prefer the cook to buy fresh produce from Jinnah Super Market or Kohsar Market, while others order online and only ask the cook for a list. Decide which you want before the first week.
Checks before the cook starts
Take a copy of the CNIC and check it is current. Call the last family or restaurant they worked for and ask about reliability, cleanliness and honesty with money. For live-in cooks, register them with the local police and with your society security if you live in a gated community.
If anyone in your home has a food allergy, explain it clearly and ask the cook to repeat it back. Write it on a note inside a kitchen cupboard so it is never forgotten.
What to pay
Cooks are paid more for a wider menu, more people, and taking on the shopping. Our cook salary guide shows typical monthly ranges in Islamabad and Rawalpindi for full-time, part-time and live-in cooks. Treat them as a guide and agree the final figure with the person you hire.
Many families also pay a little extra for big dawats or late dinners. If you do, agree the amount upfront rather than deciding on the night.
The first week in your kitchen
Spend the first two or three days in the kitchen for part of the time. Show where things are, how your family likes the salt and chilli, and how you want the fridge organised. Write a weekly menu together for the first couple of weeks; after that, most good cooks can plan it themselves.
Give feedback on the food kindly and specifically: "a little less oil in the salan" is useful, "it wasn't nice" is not. Cooks improve quickly when they know exactly what your family likes.
If you are also hiring a maid or a driver, read our guide to part-time and full-time staff. Splitting roles clearly stops one person being asked to do everything.
Live-in or live-out cook
Live-in cooks suit families who eat breakfast early, dinner late, or entertain often. A live-out cook suits a household with predictable meal times. If your cook will live in, the room, meals and rest rules in our live-in staff guide apply in full.
One practical point: live-in cooks often end up cooking every meal seven days a week. Agree in advance who cooks on the cook's day off. Many families eat out, order in, or keep a simple meal ready the night before.
When a cook is not working out
Give it two or three weeks before deciding. A new kitchen, new pots and a new family's taste take time. Be specific about what is not right and give the cook a fair chance to adjust.
- The food is fine but too oily or salty: say so precisely, and taste together for a few days
- Grocery spending is higher than expected: compare receipts for two weeks before drawing conclusions
- Hygiene worries: show the habit you want once, then check again a few days later
- Repeated lateness or absence: one clear conversation, then follow the notice you agreed
If it still does not work, part on fair terms. Pay everything owed and give the notice you promised. Cooks talk to each other, and a fair ending helps your next hire.
Questions
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