Chefs need to combine many different kinds of skill every day. What’s more, their setting – the kitchen – is famously stressful as a place to work, and it can be a tough arena for perfecting and honing the various abilities necessary to succeed.

Amid all the stress of the working day, a careerist chef who wants to get ahead needs to carve out some time for themselves and their practice. If you are in the position of wanting to rise in the ranks, then you need to work on your skills as much as you can. But that is not all that is required for a career bump.

As it turns out, working towards a cookery promotion can be a long-term mission. Let’s see how you might be able to make it a little easier on yourself.

Get To Know Your Equipment

Being a chef is one of those careers that rely heavily on their tools and equipment. For the passionate cook, the various items around the kitchen are like your best friends. And this is certainly how you have to think about them if you want to get ahead in the culinary world.

More than just being useful tools for achieving the right ends, you would do well to get to know as many kitchen tools and pieces of equipment as possible. The more you know, the more you understand the kitchen – and that is one of the things that a head chef will be looking for in their replacement.

Try to become a connoisseur of all things kitchen-related; if necessary, look to the likes of Cut It Fine for reviews and stock up your own home kitchen with the best.

Take On Extra Training

Those who are really keen to get ahead know that there is much to be gained from taking on extra training. As with any set of skills, the more you practice, the sooner you will perfect it – and if you are looking for a promotion as soon as possible, you want to ensure you are practising as much as you can. Depending on your work schedule, you might be able to take an evening or weekend class, although the kind of rota that chefs tend to work might preclude it. Still, it is worth looking for a class you can join, and at the very least you should be practising at home in your own kitchen whenever you get the chance.

Respect The Chain Of Command

You need to remember that, in order to get ahead, you have to pay attention to all aspects of the job. So just as you need to work on your actual cheffing skills, you also would do well to be a good employee in the ordinary sense. You will already be aware that a kitchen has a particularly strong and unique chain of command. It is definitely worth respecting this chain if you want to be respected in turn by your head chef and other superiors. This is more likely to result in you being promoted, so it is worth bearing in mind.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.