Glossary
Private Chef Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential private chef terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key private chef vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in private chef training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Batch cooking
- Cooking large quantities at once.
- Client intake
- Gathering client preferences.
- Cross-contact
- Allergen transfer between foods.
- Dietary restriction
- A food limitation such as gluten-free.
- Food allergy
- An immune reaction to a food.
- Food cost
- The cost of ingredients.
- Holding temperature
- Keeping food safe before serving.
- Meal prep
- Preparing meals in advance.
- Mise en place
- Ingredients ready to cook.
- Mobile kit
- Tools a chef brings to each job.
- Plating
- Arranging food on plates.
- Reheating instructions
- Directions for warming meals.
- Service agreement
- A contract with a client.
- Sous vide
- Cooking in a water bath.
- A series of small courses.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Private Chef practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Private Chef training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.