Find a cook for home near me
Find a trusted cook for daily meals, tiffin and family cooking. Review ID-verified profiles, chat safely, and finalise everything with a digital work agreement.
Hiring a cook for your home in India
Hiring a cook for your home is the difference between eating what you want and eating whatever was quickest. Across India, families hire cooks for a single daily meal, for full-day cooking for a large household, or on a live-in basis.
Sevetu helps you find that person without an agency in the middle. You post what you need, review ID-verified profiles, interview over safe in-app chat, and agree the salary directly with the cook — Sevetu takes no commission from either side.
Looking for a lady cook for home near me
Plenty of families specifically want a lady cook for home — for a household of women, for elderly parents, or simply because that is what they are comfortable with. It is a normal preference and you can say it plainly when you post your job. Both women and men cook on Sevetu, and you shortlist whoever applies.
Two honest notes before you post. In most Indian cities a female cook near me is in higher demand than a male one, so expect fewer applicants and slightly higher rates. And be ready to flex on timings — the person you want may already be cooking in two other homes, and the slot that suits her is often early morning or mid-evening rather than the middle of the day.
What kind of cook can you hire?
How to hire, in four honest steps
Post your cook job
Share the role, timings and budget you have in mind. It takes about two minutes.
Review verified applicants
Compare experience, skills and ID verification at a glance — you always know who you are talking to.
Chat & agree on terms
Settle salary, hours, weekly off and duties over secure in-app chat. You decide the terms.
Sign a digital agreement
What you both agreed is recorded in a simple digital work agreement — clear for both sides.
How much does a cook cost?
What a cook earns in India depends on the number of meals, the size of the household, cuisine, and above all the city. Metro rates (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore) sit at the top of these ranges; tier-2 cities sit well below.
Part-time cook
₹3,000 – ₹8,000 / month
One meal a day, or tiffin prep for a small household.
Full-time cook
₹8,000 – ₹18,000 / month
Two meals a day, groceries and kitchen upkeep.
Live-in cook
₹15,000 – ₹28,000 / month
Cooks on site all day, with a room at home.
These are typical market ranges, not Sevetu's prices. You agree the wage directly with the worker and it is recorded in your digital work agreement — Sevetu never takes a commission or cut of the salary. Posting a job and reviewing verified applicants is always free. For city-level detail see the Bangalore salary guide.
What to check before you hire a cook
Match the cuisine, not just the role
A cook who is excellent at South Indian food may not do the Bengali or Punjabi dishes your family expects. Say the cuisine explicitly when you post.
Do a trial meal, paid
Ask for one paid trial before committing to a month. It answers more than any interview will.
Be clear about groceries
Say whether the cook shops, whether you reimburse, and how. This is the single most common source of friction with cooks.
Meet before you commit
A profile and a chat get you most of the way, but meet in person before the start date. Trust your own read of the person as well as the badge.
Understand what Verified means
The Verified badge comes from a government-ID (KYC) check. It confirms identity — it is not a police or criminal background check. Do your own diligence too.
Write the duties down
Most arrangements go wrong over duties nobody agreed. List exactly what is included before the first day and record it in the work agreement.
Sevetu vs an agency, a broker or a WhatsApp group
Most families in India find cooks one of four ways. They are not equivalent, and the differences show up in what you pay and what happens when something goes wrong.
| Route | What it costs you | Who you actually talk to | Is it verified? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sevetu | Nothing. You pay only the salary, direct to the cook | The cook themselves, in app chat | ID/KYC check with a Verified badge |
| Placement agency | Typically one month's salary as a placement fee, often repeated on replacement | An agent. You usually meet the cook on day one | Varies. Often claimed, rarely evidenced |
| Local broker / dalal | A cut of the salary, sometimes every month, sometimes from both sides | The broker, who controls the relationship | No |
| WhatsApp group / classifieds | Free | Whoever answers. Often a broker posing as the worker | No. No identity check at all |
The honest trade-off: an agency does the shortlisting for you and will usually send a replacement. On Sevetu you review profiles and interview yourself, which takes an hour or two — and in exchange nobody takes a cut, from you or from the cook.
Why hire through Sevetu
ID-verified profiles
Every profile can carry a Verified badge from an identity (KYC) check, so you know who you are letting into your home.
Safe, in-app chat
Talk before you decide. Your phone number stays private and every conversation stays on record.
A written agreement
Salary, hours, weekly off, leave and notice period — documented in a digital work agreement both sides accept.
Frequently asked questions
There is no fee to compare. A placement agency typically charges one month's salary as a placement fee, and a local broker often takes a cut every month. Sevetu charges neither the household nor the worker anything — you pay only the agreed salary, directly. What you give up is the agency doing the shortlisting for you.
Yes. Post your job with your city and area and verified cooks near you can apply. You review ID-checked profiles, chat safely and agree the salary directly.
Posting a job and reviewing applicants on Sevetu is free. You agree the monthly wage directly with the cook you hire — Sevetu does not take a cut — and the amount is recorded in your digital work agreement. Home-cook pay varies with your city, the hours and the cuisine.
Cooks can be ID-verified and carry a clear Verified badge from an identity (KYC) check, and you can review experience and profile completeness before you chat. It is an identity check, not a police or background check, so please use your own judgement too.
Yes. When you post your job you set the timings you need — a few hours a day, full-time, or live-in — and cooks who match those timings apply.
Yes. Applicants list the cuisines they cook, so you can choose someone who suits your family — North Indian, South Indian, regional or a mix, veg or non-veg.
Post the job with your area and say you would prefer a woman — it is a normal preference and applicants see it upfront. Both women and men cook on Sevetu, so you shortlist from whoever applies. Expect slightly fewer applicants and slightly higher rates: female cooks are in higher demand in most Indian cities.
Hire a verified cook in Bangalore
Live in Bengaluru? See verified cooks near you, typical local salary ranges and how hiring works in your area — with no commission.
See Bangalore cook salary ranges · how we verify home help · hire a japa maid · cook jobs near me →
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Hire a cook in your city
Sevetu has a dedicated cook guide for each of these cities — local neighbourhoods, what sets pay there, and how to arrange a police verification yourself.
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