Cook apprentice vs pantry cook

The differences between cook apprentices and pantry 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 pantry cook. Additionally, a cook apprentice has an average salary of $34,707, which is higher than the $33,568 average annual salary of a pantry cook.

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

Cook apprentice vs pantry cook overview

	Cook Apprentice	Pantry Cook
Yearly salary	$34,707	$33,568
Hourly rate	$16.69	$16.14
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	137,414	145,348
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 39%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Cook apprentice vs pantry cook salary

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

	Cook Apprentice	Pantry Cook
Average salary	$34,707	$33,568
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between cook apprentice and pantry cook education

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

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

Cook apprentice vs pantry cook demographics

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

	Cook Apprentice	Pantry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 72.3% Female, 27.7%	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook apprentice and pantry 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.

Pantry cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Use of meat slicers, oven and stove.
Monitor garnishing of desserts and salads for plating.
Handle mixing machines and deli slicers per health regulations.
Maintain all HACCP sanitation guidelines on a daily basis.
Perform culinary skills such as cooking, prepping, and cleaning.

Cook apprentice vs pantry cook skills

Common cook apprentice skills

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

Common pantry cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Quality Standards, 16%
Fine Dining, 7%
Salad Dressings, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook Apprentice
Cook Apprentice vs Pantry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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