short-order cook

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A person whose job is to prepare simple dishes quickly in a restaurant or diner.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a short-order cook' for one and 'short-order cooks' for more than one.

   Patterns

   • work as a short-order cook
   • a short-order cook at a diner

   He worked as a short-order cook at a diner near the station.

   The short-order cook flipped the eggs and slid them onto a plate in seconds.

   She hired a short-order cook to handle the busy lunch rush.

2. 2nouncountable

   A kitchen worker who makes food to order rather than cooking large batches in advance.

   Grammar: Countable and often used after 'as' or 'be' to describe someone's role.

   Patterns

   • be a short-order cook
   • cook something as a short-order cook

   Unlike the banquet chefs, the short-order cook prepares each dish only after the customer orders it.

   A short-order cook needs to remember many small orders at once.

   The cafe's short-order cook makes burgers, pancakes, and omelets all day.

Word forms

Common combinations

work as a short-order cook

He worked as a short-order cook while he was at college.

a short-order cook at a diner

My uncle is a short-order cook at a diner downtown.

hire a short-order cook

The owner hired a short-order cook for the breakfast shift.

a busy short-order cook

A busy short-order cook rarely has time to sit down.

Synonyms and how they differ

line cook

A more general restaurant term for someone who works at one station in a professional kitchen; a short-order cook usually works in a diner or cafe making quick, simple food.

fry cook

This names a cook who mainly works at the fryer, while a short-order cook may grill, fry, and assemble many kinds of quick dishes.

chef

A chef is a trained, often senior cook, so it sounds too formal and skilled for most short-order jobs.

Commonly confused: short-order cook or short order?

Practice

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