Aged care cooks prepare and serve meals that meet residents' dietary and nutritional needs, often working with texture modified and special dietary requirements. The role includes menu planning support, food safety compliance and kitchen management tasks.

A Certificate III in Commercial Cookery is commonly required, along with a food safety supervisor certificate. Experience with special dietary requirements, such as texture modified meals, is highly valued in aged care settings.

Aged care cooking places strong emphasis on nutrition, dietary restrictions and texture modification to suit residents' health needs. The pace and environment are generally steadier than commercial hospitality kitchens, with a strong focus on consistency and care.

Many aged care cooks progress into head cook, kitchen supervisor or catering manager roles within aged care providers. Further training in nutrition or food service management can support this career progression.