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The differences between assistant chefs and cooking chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant chef and a cooking chef. Additionally, an assistant chef has an average salary of $37,670, which is higher than the $34,973 average annual salary of a cooking chef.
The top three skills for an assistant chef include kitchen equipment, safety standards and culinary. The most important skills for a cooking chef are food service, food handling, and kitchen equipment.
| Assistant Chef | Cooking Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $37,670 | $34,973 |
| Hourly rate | $18.11 | $16.81 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 18,054 | 136,558 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
It is the responsibility of an assistant chef to support the head chef of a catering business, restaurant, cafeteria, or bakery. Assistant chefs manage inventory and ensure compliance with food safety and kitchen cleanliness standards. They assist kitchen staff in the preparation of food. To get this job, one must be trained in a culinary school, have the needed cooking skills, and must have kitchen work experience. Strong teamwork ability and flexibility to work schedule are necessary for this job.
A cooking chef oversees all people performing kitchen duties under their mandate. These professionals oversee timeliness, sanitary issues, ingredient preparation, meal preparation, and final presentations. Besides engaging in menu planning and creating recipes, a cooking chef also performs several administrative tasks from one day to another. They place supply orders, track inventory, calculate payroll, calculate costs, and handle complaints from the employee or customer. Moreover, a cooking chef trains the kitchen staff to ensure they perform their duties correctly.
Assistant chefs and cooking chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Chef | Cooking Chef | |
| Average salary | $37,670 | $34,973 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $63,000 | Between $24,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Atlantic City, NJ | Teaneck, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research | Memphis Country Club |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an assistant chef and a cooking chef in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Chef | Cooking Chef | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 32% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between assistant chefs' and cooking chefs' demographics:
| Assistant Chef | Cooking Chef | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6% | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 11.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 12.0% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |