Assistant cook vs dietary cook

The differences between assistant cooks and dietary cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant cook, becoming a dietary cook takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $27,365 average annual salary of a dietary cook.

The top three skills for an assistant cook include food handling, kitchen equipment and dishes. The most important skills for a dietary cook are patients, food handling, and food service.

Assistant cook vs dietary cook overview

	Assistant Cook	Dietary Cook
Yearly salary	$34,244	$27,365
Hourly rate	$16.46	$13.16
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	190,245	191,406
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	2

Assistant cook vs dietary cook salary

Assistant cooks and dietary cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Cook	Dietary Cook
Average salary	$34,244	$27,365
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $21,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Omaha, NE
Highest paying state	California	Utah
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	SantaFe HealthCare
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between assistant cook and dietary cook education

There are a few differences between an assistant cook and a dietary cook in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Cook	Dietary Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Assistant cook vs dietary cook demographics

Here are the differences between assistant cooks' and dietary cooks' demographics:

	Assistant Cook	Dietary Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.2% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between assistant cook and dietary cook duties and responsibilities

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Dietary cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Provide attention and compassion to all resident's.
Train with culinary chefs and staff members on dinning facility services and organization.
Utilize a broad range of culinary skills to include grill and saute as well as salad and deserts.
Make sure food is prepared within the guidelines of ServSafe and residents' with special needs are tend to.
Prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for residents according to SERVSAFE and HAACP procedures and standards on a daily basis.

Assistant cook vs dietary cook skills

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

Common dietary cook skills

Patients, 16%
Food Handling, 16%
Food Service, 13%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Meal Service, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Assistant Cook vs Dietary Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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