Cook/dietary aide vs dietary cook

The differences between cook/dietary aides and dietary cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a cook/dietary aide and a dietary cook. Additionally, a cook/dietary aide has an average salary of $27,490, which is higher than the $27,365 average annual salary of a dietary cook.

The top three skills for a cook/dietary aide include meal service, food handling and patients. The most important skills for a dietary cook are patients, food handling, and food service.

Cook/dietary aide vs dietary cook overview

	Cook/Dietary Aide	Dietary Cook
Yearly salary	$27,490	$27,365
Hourly rate	$13.22	$13.16
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	163,273	191,406
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

What does a cook/dietary aide do?

A cook/dietary aide is an individual who works along with the dietary managers, cooks, and dieticians. Dietary aides prepare meals, beverages, and snacks. They set up tables or dining areas with proper order and cleanliness. They serve meals and make sure that the hygiene and safety protocols for food are followed all the time. The skills significant for this job include attention to detail, strong communication skills, excellent customer service, and knowledge in food preparation and its safety protocols.

What does a dietary cook do?

A dietary cook specializes in cooking and preparing healthy meals for clients or organizations. It is their duty to follow nutritional plans and guidelines, adhere to portion and quality standards, supervise kitchen staff, and participate in delivering food to rooms or offices. They also monitor the inventory of supplies, maintain the cleanliness of different areas, and keep dishes sanitized at all times. Moreover, a dietary cook must coordinate and maintain an open communication line with fellow kitchen workers to ensure a safe and efficient workflow.

Cook/dietary aide vs dietary cook salary

Cook/dietary aides and dietary cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook/Dietary Aide	Dietary Cook
Average salary	$27,490	$27,365
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $34,000	Between $21,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Santa Rosa, CA	Omaha, NE
Highest paying state	Utah	Utah
Best paying company	Ann Storck Center	SantaFe HealthCare
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between cook/dietary aide and dietary cook education

There are a few differences between a cook/dietary aide and a dietary cook in terms of educational background:

	Cook/Dietary Aide	Dietary Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook/dietary aide vs dietary cook demographics

Here are the differences between cook/dietary aides' and dietary cooks' demographics:

	Cook/Dietary Aide	Dietary Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.2% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook/dietary aide and dietary cook duties and responsibilities

Cook/dietary aide example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Maintain kitchen cleanliness and quality standards base on federal guidelines for license long-term care facilities.
Assist residents with menus, questions, complaints and concerns, with compassion.
Cook with close attention to dietary concerns, including allergies, diabetes, and kosher diets.
Inventory and restocking, cleaning, communicating with healthcare professionals about dietary needs (such as allergies )
Clean and operate ovens, grills, vats, boilers, tilt skillets, meat slicers, mixers and stovetops.

Dietary cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Provide attention and compassion to all resident's.
Train with culinary chefs and staff members on dinning facility services and organization.
Utilize a broad range of culinary skills to include grill and saute as well as salad and deserts.
Make sure food is prepared within the guidelines of ServSafe and residents' with special needs are tend to.
Prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for residents according to SERVSAFE and HAACP procedures and standards on a daily basis.

Cook/dietary aide vs dietary cook skills

Common cook/dietary aide skills

Meal Service, 17%
Food Handling, 15%
Patients, 14%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Food Service, 9%
Diet Orders, 7%

Common dietary cook skills

Patients, 16%
Food Handling, 16%
Food Service, 13%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Meal Service, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Cook/Dietary Aide
Cook/Dietary Aide vs Dietary Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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