Food enthusiast Jake Gyllenhaal once donned an apron and helped his chef friend prepare cuisine in a top New York restaurant - for four nights in a row.

The Day After Tomorrow star admits the undercover kitchen job wasn't planned - it was simply the only way he could catch up with his best pal.

And far from reducing him to an exhausted wreck, Gyllenhaal describes his stint in the fast-paced restaurant industry as one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.

He says, "I've always loved cooking. My best friend is a chef and we've cooking together for years. I love food. A couple of years ago, I was in New York, and my friend was working in a restaurant there."

"Because he works such crazy hours, the only time I could hang out with him was when he was working. So I put on some chef's clothes and worked with him for four nights. It was the best time I'd had in a long time."