Cooking in the same way people have cleaners?

[Slothkin]

I was reading a thread about having a cleaner (I do, she’s fricking amazing) and wondered whether there’s a similar role for cooks? I’ve had a look on Google of course but may be using the wrong terminology because everything was for full-time roles within a pro kitchen.

I’d just thought that as someone who loves to cook it seems an obvious vacancy to do something similar to a cleaner - come in once or twice a week, ensure there are home-made meals prepared with minimal effort for the inbetween days?

Am I being an idiot and missing something wildly obvious which already exists?

I’d employ you!

Well you can just buy a weeks worth of say cook meals and that would be the same.

Plenty of home cooked meals delivered options near me in London.

Yes, they exist, and they're often called 'fill freezer' services.

It's often the smaller catering companies, and self employed cooks who do things like directors lunches and other ad hoc corporate events.

You can either arrange a regular slot, or book as and when (eg start of school holidays£

My friends daughter does similar. Cooks at her home and delivers. She currently specializes in Keto meals and even some gluten free. Publishes a weekly menu and people pre order she delivers.

I know a couple of people locally who do this. They prepare party food, freezer fillers, dinner parties etc. It's a great idea.

You usually find these people if you search for home catering services or similar. Generally you buy meals for the week & then pick them up.

I don't how the equivalent of the cleaner coming once a week for 4 hours would work for a cook.

if I don't want to organise, shop & cook we have a takeaway or go out, so calling someone to come and do a one off meal wouldn't appeal to me.

Or would it be like coming every night to make dinner? I'd still have to do lunch, but I guess that would be worth it if they also did the shopping and figured out meal plan.

What I would absolutely have is a cook who does all the shopping, cooking & meal planning based on everyone's separate nutritional & health needs. It's and 9 people here so that'd be a full time job as they'd have to cleaning kitchen & dining room too, several times a day!
we couldn't afford that

Thank you @RancidOldHag that’s exactly the term for the sort of service I was thinking about! It drives me nuts when I know I’m just not getting the right search terms!

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba I was thinking of something which would be based around the clients requirements, so agree on basic staples then a menu twice a week; so in the same way I expect to do cleaning when my cleaner isn’t there but the bulk is done so it’s maintenance, i.e. everything is ready to go from fridge or freezer. If you’re in a household of 9 surely someone coming in twice a week to prepare one meal for that night and a couple of fridge/freezer meals would help? In your case I’d have thought an agreed budget on a supermarket delivery would be ideal; arrives, I unpack, cook for that evening and prep for the next 4 days; second visit check fridge, clean, cook for that evening and prepare anything for the weekend. I must admit I was only thinking of evening meals and a slightly smaller number of people!

This would be perfect for me if I could afford it.
I'm disabled.
My mum comes twice a week and will cook or help me cook as needed on those days, but the rest of the week its just me and the kids. The 12 year old can make a lot of meals independently or with supervision, but I hate relying on him as he's just a kid himself.
So if I could have someone come in and batch cook for me then I just have to reheat it, it would be perfect.
But it'd have to be gluten free and tomato free due to the 6 year old having allergies, and I suspect the costs would mean I couldn't afford it.

I've just read Jilly Cooper's Rivals and there is a character in there who does this - cooks for all her neighbours dinner parties and shooting lunches and fills their freezers before the children come home from boarding school for half term. I remember thinking - ooh what a good idea...can I find myself a Taggie!?

I once had the most amazing babysitter who used to provide "premium babysitting" whereby she would batch cook or do ironing once the children were asleep. I could have cried when she moved away!

Breakfast that sounds amazing! The problem with paying someone to do your cleaning, childcare or whatever is that that's all they do. I'd love someone to just be another me - to do the laundry, or the shopping, or whatever needs doing.

We pay for this for my father in law in India. Someone comes in once a day to cook the days food for him. It's also a bit of company for an hour. It's really common there.

The cook works with 5 families and fits it in around her children's school schedule. She taught me some brilliant new recipes last time we went over!

@HerRoyalRisesAgain part of what I was thinking about was preparing food in the client’s kitchen rather than a batch cook and delivery service, so any allergies would be covered.

@Xiaoxiong who wouldn’t want a Taggie? Rupert can get stuffed in my view!

I used to have a nanny who did this.
I mean my D.C. were older so she just held the fort for me while I got home from work and she cooked our evening meal. It was bloody brilliant.

@HerRoyalRisesAgain would you feel comfortable sharing what sort of price that that service would be worth it and doable for you?

I’d love to have someone come in and cook for me. In fact I’ve half heartedly tried to find someone but not had much luck.

In the past I’ve had a nanny or housekeeper who also cooks, which was a life saver - they’d do family dishes like lasagne, chicken pie, curry etc.

The cost was incorporated into their overall salary, but I think I paid near top end of the scale as these were sought after additional skills (about £18ph). In those cases I ordered the food.

I’ve also used caterers who come in and cook in your own kitchen when on self catering hols. They do all the shopping and charge per person. It’s usually restaurant quality 3 or 4 courses and somewhere in the region of £50 per head.

I'd love someone to just be another me - to do the laundry, or the shopping, or whatever needs doing.

Isn't that a housekeeper?

celebs have chefs who prepare their food daily often in-house, I would have a chef if I won the lotto