Chief cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between chief 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 a chief cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a chief cook has an average salary of $38,867, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

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

Chief cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Chief Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$38,867	$31,452
Hourly rate	$18.69	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	159,663	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Chief cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Chief Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$38,867	$31,452
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between chief cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Chief Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 31%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Chief cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Chief Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 9.0% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	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 chief cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

Chief cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Demand cleanliness of galley and equipment while assisting in meal planning and inventory management.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate commercial dishwasher and ensure kitchen area are clean and sanitary at all times, catering to following shift crew members.
Display leadership abilities and responsibility by training new employees.

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.

Chief cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common chief cook skills

Meal Preparation, 21%
Kitchen Equipment, 17%
Cleanliness, 13%
Food Safety, 12%
Food Handling, 8%
Menu Planning, 6%

Common kitchen cook skills

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

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Chief Cook
Chief Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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