Cold meat cook vs prep cook

The differences between cold meat cooks and prep 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 a prep cook. Additionally, a prep cook has an average salary of $32,292, 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 a prep cook are food handling, culinary, and sanitation standards.

Cold meat cook vs prep cook overview

	Cold Meat Cook	Prep Cook
Yearly salary	$31,354	$32,292
Hourly rate	$15.07	$15.53
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	146,407	168,265
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Cold meat cook vs prep cook salary

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

	Cold Meat Cook	Prep Cook
Average salary	$31,354	$32,292
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Kemps
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between cold meat cook and prep cook education

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

	Cold Meat Cook	Prep Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cold meat cook vs prep cook demographics

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

	Cold Meat Cook	Prep Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%
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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cold meat cook and prep 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.

Prep cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Provide students with first-rate customer service and ensure correct time-temperature control of culinary dishes.
Learned and become CPR certify for emergencies.
Direct and ensure that HACCP procedures are follow.
Plan menu items as needed for caf or catering.
Earn first aid, CPR, and a certification.

Cold meat cook vs prep 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 prep cook skills

Food Handling, 15%
Culinary, 15%
Sanitation Standards, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Cleanliness, 7%
Team Work, 7%

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Cold Meat Cook vs Prep Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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