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How to hire an assistant cook

Assistant cook hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring assistant cooks in the United States:

  • HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
  • It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
  • The median cost to hire an assistant cook is $1,633.
  • Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per assistant cook on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • There are currently 1,055,755 assistant cooks in the US and 190,245 job openings.
  • Baltimore, MD, has the highest demand for assistant cooks, with 7 job openings.
  • New York, NY has the highest concentration of assistant cooks.

How to hire an assistant cook, step by step

To hire an assistant cook, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire an assistant cook, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step assistant cook hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write an assistant cook job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant cook
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you start hiring an assistant cook, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an assistant cook to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an assistant cook that fits the bill.

    This list presents assistant cook salaries for various positions.

    Type of Assistant CookDescriptionHourly rate
    Assistant CookCooks prepare, season, and cook a wide range of foods, which may include soups, salads, entrees, and desserts.$12-20
    Cook/Dietary AideA cook/dietary aide is an individual who works along with the dietary managers, cooks, and dieticians. Dietary aides prepare meals, beverages, and snacks... Show more$10-16
    Cook/DishwasherCooks/dishwashers must develop kitchen skills to excel in this line of job. Each cook or dishwasher must learn to develop skills in food preparation, sanitation, and customer service... Show more$11-19
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Food Handling
    • Kitchen Equipment
    • Dishes
    • Food Service
    • Customer Service
    • Cleanliness
    • Patients
    • CPR
    • Meal Preparation
    • Culinary
    • Math
    • Dexterity
    • Good Judgment
    • Food Safety
    Check all skills
    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.
    More assistant cook duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in the assistant cook job description is a good way to get more applicants. An assistant cook salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

    For example, the average salary for an assistant cook in Oklahoma may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

    Average assistant cook salary

    $16.46hourly

    $34,244 yearly

    Entry-level assistant cook salary
    $26,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 19, 2025

    Average assistant cook salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$49,160$24
    2Connecticut$42,807$21
    3Massachusetts$40,097$19
    4New York$38,631$19
    5Nevada$38,468$18
    6Colorado$38,128$18
    7Utah$37,619$18
    8New Jersey$36,285$17
    9North Dakota$34,136$16
    10New Mexico$32,642$16
    11Nebraska$31,316$15
    12Maryland$30,967$15
    13Florida$30,949$15
    14Illinois$30,382$15
    15Indiana$30,305$15
    16Texas$29,020$14
    17Michigan$28,795$14

    Average assistant cook salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1University of California-Berkeley$44,028$21.17
    2UC Santa Barbara$40,236$19.34
    3Santa Rosa City Schools$40,095$19.28
    4Eagle Ranch$40,015$19.24
    5Brighton Central School District$39,646$19.06
    6State of Connecticut$38,012$18.2710
    7Carnival Cruise Line$37,641$18.10
    8BronxWorks$37,543$18.053
    9Brea Olinda Unified School District$37,471$18.012
    10SITRIN CHARLES T HEALTH CARE$37,046$17.81
    11Tustin Unified School District$36,690$17.64
    12Standing Rock High School$36,463$17.53
    13HealthTrust$36,061$17.34
    14Care New England Health System$35,713$17.172
    15The Nutrition Group$35,107$16.8878
    16Remote$34,916$16.79
    17Maryland School for the Blind$34,903$16.78
    18Rolling Hills$34,851$16.76
    19Westminster$34,760$16.712
    20American House Senior Living Communities$34,751$16.71
  4. Writing an assistant cook job description

    A job description for an assistant cook role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an assistant cook job description:

    Assistant cook job description example

    Ability to add and subtract two digit numbers and to multiply and divide with 10's and 100's. Ability to perform these operations using units of American money and weight measurement, volume, and distance.

    Reasoning Ability

    Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed and involved written or oral instructions.

    Computer Skills

    To perform this job successfully, an individual should have general knowledge of a personal computer, Windows, Microsoft Word and Excel, the Internet and email software. In addition an individual should be able to operate various office machines.

    Physical Demands

    • The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
    • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move 10-30 pounds, and occasionally 50 pounds.

    Work Environment

    • The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
    • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

    FULL-TIME/PART-TIME: Full-Time

    POSITION: Assistant Cook

    EXEMPT/NON-EXEMPT: Non-Exempt

    ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: Arkansas Early Learning, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to serve the needs of children and families throughout the State of Arkansas.

  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find assistant cooks for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your assistant cook job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant cook candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    During your first interview to recruit assistant cooks, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant cook

    Once you've selected the best assistant cook candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new assistant cook. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire an assistant cook?

Hiring an assistant cook comes with both the one-time cost per hire and ongoing costs. The cost of recruiting assistant cooks involves promoting the job and spending time conducting interviews. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider the cost of assistant cook recruiting as well the ongoing costs of maintaining the new employee.

You can expect to pay around $34,244 per year for an assistant cook, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for assistant cooks in the US typically range between $12 and $20 an hour.

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