We all lead extremely busy lives. Between work, personal obligations and family, who has time to cook? This leads to a lot of ordering in, take out and increased calories. But what if you had someone to help ease the burden of preparing meals? Hiring a personal chef can do just that.
The convenience of having someone to cook your meals and clean-up the mess saves time, money, and calories! Read on to discover how a personal chef service can make your life easier and tips for finding the right one.
Convenience
This is probably the top reason for hiring a personal chef service. The convenience of having someone else to prepare your dinner, lunches or dessert, saves you time and hassle. Not only will your personal chef cook for you, but they’ll clean up the mess too!
Some people hire a personal chef only for special occasions, while others might hire one on a more steady basis. That’s another perk to using this type of service — you choose the frequency and schedule of your chef.
Saves Time
Not only will a personal chef service save you time on cooking, but on grocery shopping as well. A personal chef works in two ways — they arrive with the ingredients and cook onsite or they arrive with the meals already prepared. This means fewer trips to the grocery store. It also saves time on hunting down the right ingredients, or ones you’ve never heard of.
Chefs are food experts. They’re trained in choosing the best and freshest ingredients for your meals. You can even request that your chef prepares meals in larger quantities for instant leftovers.
Healthy meal delivery is another great alternative to routine grocery shopping. Muscle Up Meals is local to the California area, but we’re sure you’ve heard of others. Many home delivery services send the freshest and most nutritious ingredients right to your doorstep. See what local services are available near you!
Saves Money
People spend, on average $180 weekly on groceries. That comes to almost $800 per month!
Have you ever tried a new recipe that required a long list of ingredients you didn’t have? Did you buy them, make one dish and never use them again? This is a waste of time, money and food. A personal chef portions out the ingredients specifically for the amount you order. This means no waste.
You probably don’t own the variety of kitchen equipment a professional chef uses. But that’s ok! They’ll bring all necessary materials with them. Without the time or motivation to cook your own meals you may resort to ordering in. People spend over $1,000 per year on take-out. Hiring a personal chef service to prepare healthy meals for you and your family is money well-spent.
Saves Calories
Eating healthy is something we all struggle with, especially with the busy lives we lead. Often times food that’s convenient is also unhealthy.
Using a personal chef is a great way to cut down on calories and make nutrition a priority. Personal chefs control the portion sizes of your meal and buy the freshest ingredients. A personal chef is paid to make exactly what you want, how you want it. They follow your food preferences and any special diet requests you might have. Another perk to using a personal chef service is that you can keep unhealthy foods out of your house by only ordering healthy options.
Make a Special Occasion Even More Special
Perhaps you’re not looking to hire a personal chef full-time, but instead, want to host an elegant evening at home for friends. Hiring a chef to cook for your party allows you to enjoy your guests. Instead of slaving over a hot stove, you can mingle and chat with friends.
With a personal chef in the kitchen, you can spend time with your company and eliminate the stress of meal prep and clean-up. You’re also guaranteed a delicious meal your guests will love.
How to Hire a Personal Chef Service
If you’ve decided that a personal chef is right for you, there are certain steps to finding and hiring the right one.
Experience
You’ll want to ask the chef questions that are important to you. If you’re interested in their culinary background, find out where they went to school and what types of restaurants they’ve trained or worked in.
Some person chefs have specialized experience in a certain type of cuisine. This might be an important factor in your selection process. You may also want to ask if the chef has a ServSafe certification, which means they are trained in safe food handling.
Adaptability
You also want a chef that has an open mind. Find out of the chef is flexible in their cooking style and open to trying new recipes and new ideas. Some chefs are regimented in their practice and are not willing to stray too far from what they know and like.
If you want a more adaptable chef, you’ll want to find that out from the onset.
Kitchen Etiquette
Do you want to have a hand in the cooking process? Some chefs prefer to work alone and uninterrupted.
Ask the chef if they mind you being in the kitchen while they’re preparing meals. This could be disruptive to some chefs who prefer privacy. If you’re planning a dinner party, some personal chef services offer hands-on guest interaction.
Ask for a Sample
Just like taking a car for a test drive, you may want to sample the chef’s food before hiring them. Most chefs will be happy to provide a sample menu for you to try. This way, you’ll get a better understanding of the flavors they use and style of cooking. At this point, you can either make adjustments or decide on a different chef.
Let a Personal Chef Service Simplify Your Life
Whether it’s planning for a special occasion or for everyday use, hiring a personal chef service will undoubtedly make your life easier.Save time, money and stress by letting a trained professional handle the cooking for you.
SOURCE: USA Today
