Cook apprentice vs cook

The differences between cook apprentices and 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 cook apprentice and a cook. Additionally, a cook apprentice has an average salary of $34,707, which is higher than the $31,803 average annual salary of a cook.

The top three skills for a cook apprentice include culinary, kitchen equipment and sauces. The most important skills for a cook are food handling, food service, and cleanliness.

Cook apprentice vs cook overview

	Cook Apprentice	Cook
Yearly salary	$34,707	$31,803
Hourly rate	$16.69	$15.29
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	137,414	184,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Cook apprentice vs cook salary

Cook apprentices and cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook Apprentice	Cook
Average salary	$34,707	$31,803
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between cook apprentice and cook education

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

	Cook Apprentice	Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook apprentice vs cook demographics

Here are the differences between cook apprentices' and cooks' demographics:

	Cook Apprentice	Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 8.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook apprentice and cook duties and responsibilities

Cook apprentice example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Cook foods by baking, roasting, broiling, frying, saut? ing and grilling.
Operate standard cooking equipment, including grills, ovens and broilers.
Gain cooking methods, including roasting, deep fat frying, broiling, and saut ing.
Cook foods by frying, saut? ing, steaming and grilling.
Acquire cooking skills, saut, grill, salad, breakfast, soups and desserts.

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Cook apprentice vs cook skills

Common cook apprentice skills

Culinary, 41%
Kitchen Equipment, 29%
Sauces, 11%
Roasting, 5%
La Carte, 4%
Food Quality, 3%

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook Apprentice
Cook Apprentice vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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