Personal or Private Chef

LSurfer Dude on 12/07/2020 - 01:19
Last edited 12/07/2020 - 01:20

Hello Ozbargainers,

I am looking for recommendations on how others out there have managed to solve the 'couple in mid 30's, full time professional workers (8am-6pm) who don't have time or can't make time to cook meals at home' conundrum.

I've given the precooked meals a solid go more than once (youfoodz, musclemeals, lite n'easy etc.) and I just cannot maintain it as I find the variety of tasty food is very limited.

Does anyone have experience with using a private/personal chef/cook for 3-4 nights per week? Does such a service exist in Sydney that's 'affordable' (under $300 per week)?

Thanking you in advance for your contribution.

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • Dreamcast on 15/07/2020 - 19:12
    +1

    Mate, what are you smoking. I live on musclemeals. Tastes great!

  • [Deactivated] on 15/07/2020 - 20:05
    -1

    Op is lazy and Mrs can’t cook lol.

    • Deseret on 16/07/2020 - 12:20
      +3

      Why isn't it the other way around?

  • Donaldhump on 15/07/2020 - 20:51
    +1

    How hard is it to cook a meal at 7pm at night after being out the house 10 hours.

  • Dsquall on 15/07/2020 - 22:54
    +3

    Maybe place an ad in a local culinary school? I'm sure there would be students around keen to jump at the opportunity.

    Also, just my 2c. No clue why you're copping so much flak over this question. People seem to have some very visceral feelings over the concept of having a professional 'cook' for you on a regular basis. Literally so many other activities that you could do yourself are services a large portion of us pay for (haircuts, cleaning, mowing the lawn, washing your car, having your groceries delivered, having your food delivered etc.) But for some reason 'cooking' has set everyone off, it's quite bizzare.

    • borrisz0r on 16/07/2020 - 07:45
      +1

      I think most of the flak comes from OP's view on his work hours and how it compares to most.

    • Deseret on 16/07/2020 - 13:19
      +8

      I saw people posting these counterpoints and thought they held some merit, but realised that these are false equivalences.

      There are a few main reasons why people seem to mocking OPs post:
      1. They are lowballing a professional chef. Like lowballing hard.
      2. The problem is relatable. Many people face OPs problem but have the much more sane mindset of "ok I guess I'll order out" or "cook at home delivery services exist". But OP says these options are not tasty enough so instead of sticking through with it or hiring a chef, decides to lowball a professional chef. There's a sense of entitlement that seems to be showing here somewhere.
      3. Tasty and healthy options exist with takeout options. I know OP insists that it is not viable for some reason but idk how to convince them that like… There are? We don't live in the 1960s anymore, healthy options are becoming more popular and more prevalent.
      4. This is in regard to all the other services that are mentioned. The main problem is that a large portion of us don't pay for those services. I only pay to get my hair cut because there are no cheaper DIY alternative. But everything else I'll do myself. And I'll hazard a guess, being on a bargain hunting site, that most people here do the same. But if OP were to ask in a community where participants are wealthy and lazy (yes, you are lazy if you don't buy your own groceries) I'm they would be received warmly, other than the lowballing part. OP is just asking in the wrong place.

      I'll say that working 10hrs is quite long if it doesn't include commute (if it does, then they are like most people and there's something wrong with their time management if they can't fit in time to cook and relax). And OP is definitely entitled to spend their money on whatever they want, but they are also entitled to the criticism they receive if they make their expenditures public. I'd be happy to work for OP despite everything I've said because I'm pretty povo and cooking is my forte, but OP had to move down to melbs near me and let me sit in on their dinners (bc I'm not gonna wait around to wash your dishes otherwise).

      • Surfer Dude on 16/07/2020 - 15:38
        +5

        Well done, good synopsis/summary of the thread. +1 to you.

        For what it's worth, I've received an offer of $60 per hour from two professional chefs (and according to them, this is a service which they provide regularly for other customers). Might have to go with the option of two sessions per week so it fits within the allocated budget.

        P.S. I'm not specifically after a professional chef, an experienced cook will do (life experience, not necessarily commercial/formal experience).

  • iamhurtin on 16/07/2020 - 09:16
    +3

    I hate this place

  • KBZ on 16/07/2020 - 09:18

    300 bucks is nothing for personal chef you'd have more luck going to your fb communities page and seeing one of those cooked meal business to deliver to your place.

  • itbargainhunter on 16/07/2020 - 09:43
    +1

    Open youtube —> Search "Quick meal recipe" —> Problem solved

  • JoshJ on 16/07/2020 - 10:29
    +2

    It is pretty surprising that OP is taking negs like this.
    There are plenty of international students (especially cookery students) who want to earn some extra money after school and lost their restaurant job due to COVID19.
    Post on gumtree and you will easily get someone.
    May be they are not the 5 star chef but good enough for home cooking level.
    If you don't want to think about the menu, they will do what they learnt from the school what you never thought about.
    I don't see why not.
    You support student and student support your life.

    • Emerald Owl on 16/07/2020 - 20:56

      International students though. Instant noodles?

      • JoshJ on 17/07/2020 - 09:39
        +1

        Not all, but many students are studying cookery for visa even though they were professional chef back in their country.
        If OP is lucky enough then he could get someone like that.

  • kator on 16/07/2020 - 10:48
    +3

    Sometimes I order food from those meal delivery places like Muscle chef, Macros.

    It is actually pretty hard to cook as a single person. A lot of thing get spoiled in the fridge, as sometimes it is impossible to buy small portions. I have watched a lot of youtube videos, but often I don’t have the ingredients at home. Then I go and buy it, use 1/5 of it then it goes bad as I don’t want to eat the same thing for several days in a row.

    When I consider how much spoiled food I throw out or the lack of variety in my diet, these food delivery companies are not that expensive.
    However, it is hard to find a good one that has proper cooked meals. One just put a cup of frozen mixed vegetables as a side that you can buy in the freezer section.

    • dufflover on 16/07/2020 - 23:05

      A lot of thing get spoiled in the fridge, as sometimes it is impossible to buy small portions.

      Like?
      Not asking in a smart ass way because my palette/cooking skills are pretty limited. But as someone who is pretty stingy with food prices I don't have too much trouble with unused food spoiling. A few close calls sure but in general not too bad. I mean a lack of variety usually means less spoilage cos you use the same ingredients over and over so no issue finishing that 2kg bag of spuds for example.
      Although apparently I eat enough for 1.5-2ppl which might be why too lol

  • bobolo on 16/07/2020 - 11:08
    +2

    I've been down that path and its not worth it. Quality of food is hit and miss and if you buy your own groceries/planning your meals, you're halfway cooking your own meals anyway

    Perhaps you should approach some neighbours - maybe find an older retired couple and see if they will be willing to cook extra during weeknights and you pay them instead. I'm sure many would be happy to for extra income

    Or you could focus on making more money so you can afford a real personal chef.

  • bulletbill88 on 16/07/2020 - 11:40
    +2

    OP is free to spend his money on whatever he wants. $300 a week is $15k per year. Personally I'd rather spend that amount of money on something else and cook my own quick easy meals so I know exactly what goes into them, but each to their own.

    • iamhurtin on 16/07/2020 - 13:00
      +6

      Please stop talking sense not being outraged they don't have their own cow

      • [Deactivated] on 16/07/2020 - 13:33
        +4

        The issue isn't that he's trying to outsource an activity. Quite a number of posts are concerned about him trying to exploit a person and not paying market rates. There are personal chef services that currently exist but he's too cheap to pay. He wants 4 days of live cooking. A person comes in for "2 hours", which hasn't factored in their travel time to and from his "workplace" and back home. What meals does he want? He also wants meal prepping. What if it takes them longer to prepare all of this? If it's $37.50 per hour, minimum 2-hour shift, he's offering, then state it. But nope, it's "$300" total per week (4 days), no job security, no protections, no assurance over job hours, demanding the majority of a person's week. Very hazy and open to exploitation.

        • iamhurtin on 16/07/2020 - 14:07
          +1

          Where were you when I needed homework done!

      • Seaword on 16/07/2020 - 14:05
        +5

        I work 148 hours a week and have 12 kids and still make time to spend 25 hours a day with each child.

        • iamhurtin on 16/07/2020 - 14:06
          +2

          Luxury!
          At least you don't have to lick road clean with tounge

  • phrank on 16/07/2020 - 15:35
    +4

    Lol, so much bitterness/judgements/criticising/showing off in the comments section and in the votes. Just from OP presenting a problem and asking some questions.

    Good on you OP for identifying how you'd better like to use your out of office hours and for coming up with a possible solution and asking if it exists. I'd be keen to find out what you end up trying and what works or doesn't work.

    • Surfer Dude on 16/07/2020 - 15:43
      +5

      This is my first post ever so I'm learning to grow some thick skin really quickly.

      I'll do an updated thread for completeness sake in a few months so others that are interested can build on my learnings. Watch this space.

      • phrank on 16/07/2020 - 23:38
        +1

        I'm glad to hear that. Thanks in advance for sharing your info on this topic although I'm sure most people won't appreciate it.

        I must admit that I'm looking forward to the reemergence in a few months of the 'I work longer hours, have less free time, have less disposable income, am busier than you therefore your post is not worthy, F you' crowd. I find it bizzarely interesting.

  • OzCheapo on 16/07/2020 - 16:08
    +2

    I bought six month of supplies from Gate Gourmet… but that's me.

  • mousie on 16/07/2020 - 16:49
    +2

    Is this the real housewives of Coogee?

  • Ti-au on 16/07/2020 - 17:05
    +1

    This post has waaaaaay to many posts.

  • Jaystea on 16/07/2020 - 17:28
    +10

    This post for some odd reason has garnered up some really toxic comments from the community. While I may not find it economical to outsource chores in the way that OP is suggesting, it's really not an unreasonable query. $300 may be low-balling to some, but for a 20yo on Airtasker, a potentially feasible source of income on the side for a few hours work.

    If they so choose to enjoy more hours of their life NOT cooking, who are you to say that's lazy, stupid, trolling, irresponsible, unfit for children in the future. There is absolutely no correlation there at all, but we're jumping to that conclusion. Absolutely despicable attitude.

    • constantly L8 on 16/07/2020 - 23:25
      +4

      $300 for one day's work (8hrs) is great!

      But $300 over 3 or 4 days, working a total 8hrs is unreasonable. Having dinner time tied up working a couple of hours, plus getting ready for work and traveling back and forth makes it not worth while… this "8hrs" hours of work turns to closer to 16 hours of a person's time (depending hour far away this person lives, 30min-1hr travel is not unusual in Sydney, especially peak hour traffic before dinner 5-6pm)

      I hope OP see the other side's perspective and understand why this is not feasible

      Also commenters should definitely be more constructive with their criticism, but hey some don't have the time ;p

    • phrank on 17/07/2020 - 00:13
      +4

      @Jaystea I absolutely agree. For me though, it's odd but not surprising.

      I see it as an extreme result of when people are not able to tolerate someone else's way of living their life.

      To the point where something that some of us perceive as innocuous:
      "If they so choose to enjoy more hours of their life NOT cooking"
      —> calling a fellow human "lazy, stupid, trolling, irresponsible, unfit for children in the future"

      They are despicable things to say, but in terms of attitude, I feel sorry for the people for who making that jump and saying that, is their automatic mental framework. I can only hope that they gain the self-awareness to see how toxic this mental framework is for others and also for themselves, and to be able to work on that. It seems to me like a sad way of being.

      • phrank on 17/07/2020 - 11:56
        +2

        And I'll add that I can see comments here coming from a good place and said in nicer words. But they're still not actually helpful to what OP asked and imply the same "lazy, stupid, trolling, irresponsible, unfit for children in the future" things.

        "Your work situation is common to everyone. Most people work 8 to 6 and in addition you aren and you are in a relationship."
        —> everyone is in the same situation as you put in a worse situation and we all cook our own meals. WTF is wrong with you?

        "I won't advise on the ready meals or meal prep kits. I will say organise yourself. At some point you might have kids in which case you will have to sort this out"
        —> You said that your problem is with meals. I'm telling you, you've got it all wrong. The problem is YOU. You are not organised (? You are lazy). You have sh!t that you need to sort out because if you have kids, God help you.

        Comments from a well-meaning place said in nice words can still breed toxic negativity.

        • Deseret on 20/07/2020 - 09:03

          You got a bit creative there ahaha. Must've been cathartic writing those bolded lines.

    • onesandtwos on 17/07/2020 - 12:28
      +1

      Yes, I personally am baffled by the OP because I don't identify with his quandary (find home cooking a generally great return on effort/time), but agree it's not an unreasonable question, even if I suppose, it was posed with a certain lack of self-awareness. I also don't always understand other people when it comes to other pursuits, such as a spending their travel money/annual leave on a cruise/lazy beach holiday, but each to their own, no need to draw conclusions on their character.

      I would only say that as OP+partner only have 'an above average' income, I'm not sure that it is sustainable or helpful to kick this can down the road, they don't seem to have a handle at all on the process. But unless they plan on spending this proportion of income for the rest of their working lives, at some point, they will have to acquire the skills and attitude to become better/more efficient home cooks. Shelling out ~$15k annually is not really going to be feasible if they want to have kids, unless there's a dramatic change to their financial position.

      In talking to some of my friends who also don't enjoy cooking for themselves, I think the issue it is not truly the time spent prepping/cooking, they find the whole process and mental work of it exhausting and tedious, from start to finish, and just don't feel the 'love' that home cooking can give (and that a restaurant meal can't truly replicate). Cooking from a meal plan requires a lot of organisation, and it starts with the 'decision fatigue' which can be incredibly tiresome for some people, choosing recipes, purchasing groceries etc., and then the apparent lack of satisfaction at the meal (it's okay). It is certainly a first world problem.

      • Surfer Dude on 18/07/2020 - 00:08
        +1

        Your last paragraph of your comment is a spot on explanation of how we feel about weekday cooking.

        I think my mindset at the moment is: whilst I'm still trying to advance my career I'm happy to sacrifice the $15k per year to get some of my time back. Later down the track I aim to apply my learnings from my career in an effort to still ascend the income ladder but decrease the amount of hours I have to work. At that point in time I think I'd probably go back to cooking with my partner. Side bonus, I'd consider the private chef as a learning experience as well. So you're not only paying for a service, you're also paying for culinary education.

        • onesandtwos on 21/07/2020 - 18:46
          +1

          Yep, as long as you're thoughtful about the way that you're making your decision, and its long term implications, then it's fine. I hope you eventually get to a sustainable solution. And yes, definitely make the most of your private chef..! Perhaps they can give you some insight into how to enjoy the process as well the other culinary skills/techniques. Best of luck!

  • poiuyt09876 on 16/07/2020 - 18:13
    +4

    I was in the same position as you OP. Studying at uni fulltime and preferred to use my free time doing other things. There are many people offering to sell meals on Facebook market/gumtree etc. This sounds like the best option for you and your partner. I did this for a few years. Pretty good value (100ish per week in my case for about 3-4 days worth. I used to still eat out as well) and the food was healthier.

    Also, the personal attacks here are insane. Lots of people on very high horses.

  • StonedWizard on 16/07/2020 - 18:19
    +5

    OP have you considered finding a new partner who can cook?

    • Deseret on 20/07/2020 - 09:07

      Or perhaps the partner should look for a new partner who can cook…

  • sarahlump on 16/07/2020 - 20:31

    Hey, OP move to brisbane! I'll cook for you 6.3 days a week for $300!

  • MrTruffle on 16/07/2020 - 20:43

    Ideally find someone local who wants some extra cash. Neighbors who can just drop food around after cooking themselves next door

    Budget isn't great but if this person can prep meals in advance vs 5 days a week you and them will do OK

  • burns13 on 16/07/2020 - 21:15

    Learn how to cook fast and easy meals. Plan ahead, shop ahead, Clean as you go. Halve the workload with your partner. It's not hard at all.

    Cook big batches as well. Have some meals in the freezer.

  • Ahbal on 16/07/2020 - 21:41

    You dont have 15-30 minutes to cook a meal that will save you money and make you healthy and happy?

    What do you do instead?

    • Seaword on 20/07/2020 - 10:57
      +2

      Do whatever he wants, how hard is it to understand not everyone values things the same way you do.

  • JimmyB99 on 16/07/2020 - 23:53

    If you work at a company like atlassian, google, nutanix etc… after rona they give you breakfast and lunch (maybe dinner at some of those places)

  • Raj09 on 17/07/2020 - 01:09

    Your work situation is common to everyone. Most people work 8 to 6 and in addition you aren and you are in a relationship. I won't advise on the ready meals or meal prep kits. I will say organise yourself. At some point you might have kids in which case you will have to sort this out

  • djones145 on 17/07/2020 - 09:22
    +4

    what u need is a high yield MERC AMG
    wont need to eat after u buy that car, just go cruising and show it off

    • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2020 - 10:51

      drink the tears of those who envy

  • kanad on 17/07/2020 - 16:04
    +1

    Move to Mumbai or Bangalore, $200/mo will get you a cook. Save the other $100/mo for the maid.

  • Jumpup on 17/07/2020 - 22:37

    OP I think you need a new partner that can cook. She can plan and prep the meals the night before and cook them the next night. Weekends eat out.

  • SomeRandom on 17/07/2020 - 23:22

    LOL.. sometimes I wonder if people deliberately post these sort of questions just so they can sit back and enjoy the madness that follows.

    This one feels like one of those, carefully crafted to really get some people fired up.

  • Surfer Dude on 18/07/2020 - 00:20
    +2

    For those of you who are still commenting and/or following this thread: I've read all the comments thus far, including the supportive, critical, downputting, useful, constructive and downright condemning ones. Thank you all for your contributions (even that dikhed Blitz). I'll leave the thread open until it naturally runs its course (I note it's down the bottom of the Front Page so must be losing steam).

    Thanks again 👍🏻

  • El Grande on 18/07/2020 - 04:02
    +1

    My mum used to get a lady to cook for us on Saturdays. She would buy the supplies Friday after work and they would cook together (My mum would be telling her what to do and how she liked her food) . Would usually prep 5-6 dishes and she would charge $150. The food would last us till Wednesday and Would usually get takeaway on Thursday/Friday. This was 10 years ago so adjusted for inflation $250 now?

  • Talos2005 on 19/07/2020 - 20:55
    +2

    There are heaps out there OP:
    https://www.takeachef.com/en-au/
    https://www.foodher.com.au/
    https://www.myhomechef.com.au/

    Good luck

  • Eshattear on 22/07/2020 - 04:17
    +2

    So much hate and unnecessary judgement on this thread.

    Good on you OP for valuing your time & taking the initiative to outsource something you don't particularly enjoy.

    My wife & I (both doctors) have shitty long work weeks that are taxing. I often fantasize about a personal chef to cook healthy variable meals for us. Always thought it would be far too expensive in Australia for such an arrangement though.

    OP you could also consider a homemade meal service of sorts. I've heard of some immigrant grannies in western Sydney who make large share portions of Indian food for 8-15$ each. Would only need pick up on the way from work. I'm sure this is a thing currently given amount of people staying home. Maybe check FB/Gumtree/ask around colleagues. This would probably be the cheapest/time efficient way.

  • capslock janitor on 27/07/2020 - 11:47

    try
    dinnerly
    hello fresh
    marley spoon
    the dinner ladies

  • Spaniard on 03/03/2021 - 11:00

    Hi OP. Have you tried out this service?

    https://ih8cooking.com.au/

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