What this work involves
A cook's shift is full of skilled hand work that AI systems still struggle to learn: trimming, portioning, stirring, plating, wiping down a station between orders. To record it, you do your normal tasks while a camera on a head strap or cap films what your hands do, in the order you do it.
The category here is professional kitchens: a restaurant line, a cafeteria, a catering or hotel kitchen. Cooking at home needs different permissions, so it has its own home cooking page. Each project spells out its tasks before you accept.
What a recording can show
Some examples of what kitchen footage can cover (none of them describes a current project):
- Washing, peeling, chopping and portioning ingredients at the board.
- Setting up mise en place, labeling containers and restocking your station.
- Working the stove with pans, tongs, ladles and a thermometer.
- Building a plate, wiping the rim and passing it to service.
- Scraping, wiping and sanitizing the station when a task is done.
Good footage shows the whole task from start to finish, with your hands in frame. For framing, light and pace, see the guide on how to record first-person video.
- Pay is USD 5–15 per hour of accepted footage; it varies by project and is not guaranteed.F1b
- Review usually takes about a week, with a contractual limit of 30 days. Payment usually arrives within 7 days of acceptance, with a contractual limit of 60 days.F8, F7
- Collectors are paid in US dollars (USD) through Wise.F9, F9b
- Rejected footage is not paid.F11
- There is no fee to apply, and no coding or AI background is needed.F2
- No English is needed: instructions and support are in Spanish and Portuguese.F12
- You never pay for equipment: the project provides it, or the task needs no special equipment.F3b
Permission and privacy in a kitchen
A restaurant is a commercial setting, so you need written permission from the owner or manager before you record there. Any coworker who can be identified in the footage needs to sign a release. Ask before your shift, not halfway through it.
Where you can, keep tickets with customer names, delivery screens and the dining room out of the shot. Point the camera down at the board and you stay on the task. The guide to privacy and consent at work goes into releases and permissions in more detail.
How to join the pool
- 01
Apply once
Fill in the short form on the collector page, and mention that you work in a kitchen.
- 02
Wait for a suitable project
If a project fits what you do, we arrange it with you by email. You see its requirements, equipment and exact rate before you accept.
- 03
Record and send
You record the agreed tasks; people and automated checks then review the footage.
- 04
Get paid
We pay for accepted footage in USD, as described above.
The same steps apply to every kind of footage, and the overview of how recording works covers them.
Other types of recording work
The types of recording work directory has the full list. These five are closest to kitchen work:
- Hair and beauty salon: tool preparation and salon routines.
- Farm work: plant care, sorting produce and hand tools.
- Professional cleaning: surfaces, floors and supplies in offices or hotels.
- Warehouse and stock: picking, packing and shelving goods.
- Household chores: laundry, tidying and organizing at home.
Questions
Is this a job as a cook?
No. You get paid to record kitchen tasks you already do. Your normal work carries on, and the footage is what gets paid.
Do I need to work in a restaurant to apply?
No. This category also includes cafeteria, catering and hotel kitchens. Each project states its requirements before you accept.
What equipment do I need?
You never pay for equipment. Each project lists its requirements and equipment before you accept.