Assistant cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between assistant cooks and kitchen cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

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

Assistant cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Assistant Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$34,244	$31,452
Hourly rate	$16.46	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	190,245	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Assistant cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Assistant Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$34,244	$31,452
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $43,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between assistant cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Assistant Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Assistant cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Assistant Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
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, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between assistant cook and kitchen 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.

Kitchen cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Inspect clean and utilize ovens, grills, fryers, mixers, etc.
Experience on grills, fryers, knife handling and slicers.
Experience with fryers, weigh machines, slicers and other similarities.
Used electric ovens and electric stoves.
Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

Assistant cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common assistant cook skills

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

Common kitchen cook skills

Dishes, 13%
Food Handling, 11%
Cleanliness, 8%
Math, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Culinary, 7%

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Assistant Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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