What, Exactly, Is A Cooking Jumpsuit?

Many things come to mind at the mention of the word "apron": cooking, protection from flying flour, and maybe even that Martha Stewart coffee ad where she wears nothing but an apron. The garment, which gained major popularity among American housewives in the 1940s, per the Aussie Chef Clothing Company, is still a stellar choice among home chefs and bakers alike who want to keep their clothes clean of any food stains. Then there's the traditional chef's uniform that remains standard to this day: a full- body look complete with hat, double-breasted coat, pants, and a half-apron worn from the waist down.

According to the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, the chef's uniform is everything one needs to be taken seriously as a cook — at least at first glance. It has also been around for a long time, initially invented by celebrity chef Marie-Antoine Carême about 200 years ago. Recently, however, home chefs are experimenting with a new kind of kitchen garb that seeks to bridge the gap between the relatively low-coverage apron and the full-on chef's uniform: a cooking jumpsuit. But what, exactly, is a cooking jumpsuit? And why is it rapidly becoming the hot new thing in the culinary world?

While a standard apron may do the average cook justice, you might need something with a little more coverage for certain kitchen endeavors. Sure, a traditional apron will protect your chest and midsection from staining (and may even provide the hourglass figure of your dreams), but what about the parts it doesn't cover, like your arms or upper body? Plus, the dangling ties could even be a hire hazard, per 21Oak. And, though donning a full chef's uniform certainly offers coverage, do we really need a coat, hat, and pants every time we want to cook bacon? These are a few concerns that have apparently driven people to seek out another type of clothing for their kitchen protection: cooking jumpsuits.

For a few years now, jumpsuits have been the trendy clothing item of choice for kitchen use, so sayeth Vogue, and they capture both the simplicity of an apron and the full-coverage benefits of a chef's uniform. One TikToker explained how a jumpsuit that "covers your whole body" is perfect for her as a messy cook, especially since it looks so put-together. "I honestly would wear that in public," one user commented. 

Utility-style jumpsuits have been on trend for a while, but they don't just belong out on the town. Their generous pockets are helpful in holding kitchen timers and other tools, while the zipper design makes them easy to pull on and off in a flash. Ask many of today's cooks, and they'll tell you that the kitchen jumpsuit is the way of the future and a must-have for messy chefs.