Cook may be either the professional cook or the domestic cook. Although it is an oversimplification to say that the first were men and the second women, as a broad generalization this remains true. The term ‘professional cook’ here refers to someone working in a high-class private or restaurant kitchen, as opposed to the caterer, producing and purveying mass-produced dishes. While the generalized use of the term ‘chef’ is recent, much of the organization of the professional kitchen and the role of the head cook controlling a team (the brigade) has not changed greatly.
