Cold meat cook vs assistant cook

The differences between cold meat cooks and assistant 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 cold meat cook and an assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $31,354 average annual salary of a cold meat cook.

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

Cold meat cook vs assistant cook overview

	Cold Meat Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$31,354	$34,244
Hourly rate	$15.07	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	146,407	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Cold meat cook vs assistant cook salary

Cold meat cooks and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cold Meat Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$31,354	$34,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between cold meat cook and assistant cook education

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

	Cold Meat Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cold meat cook vs assistant cook demographics

Here are the differences between cold meat cooks' and assistant cooks' demographics:

	Cold Meat Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cold meat cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Cold meat cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Empty fryers and replace with cleaner or new grease.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
Cook food to order; prep cook and stock; clean and sanitize tables; customer service
Ensure food area are filled and prep food for hot cooks and salad bar cold and hot items.
Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

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.

Cold meat cook vs assistant cook skills

Common cold meat cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 29%
Food Handling, 14%
HACCP, 14%
Food Products, 9%
Safety Standards, 9%
Cold Meals, 4%

Common assistant cook skills

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

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Cold Meat Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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