Cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between cooks and kitchen 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 and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a cook has an average salary of $31,803, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

The top three skills for a cook include food handling, food service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$31,803	$31,452
Hourly rate	$15.29	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	184,818	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a cook do?

Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed. They are also responsible for managing the inventory and ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked. They prepare meals from scratch, cutting ingredients, measuring them, and following recipes. Cooks should be creative, especially when ingredients are lacking, and they must find alternatives that will not compromise the food taste. They should be precise, imaginative, and patient. Cooks should also have good time management skills and decision-making skills.

What does a kitchen cook do?

A kitchen cook prepares food for customers. Kitchen cooks help devise new menu items and methods of cooking. Their duties are to prepare food before the arrival of guests, manage employees in the kitchen, and season food according to recipe needs. They assist other cooks during the food assembly process, estimate food consumption, and organize preparation. They keep records and accounts of food purchases, prepare any necessary sauce before the meal service begins, and so on. As kitchen cooks, they must excel in organizational skills, verbal communication, culinary arts, and kitchen equipment. They should be equipped with knowledge of international cuisines, butchering, and basic computational skills.

Cook vs kitchen cook salary

Cooks and kitchen cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$31,803	$31,452
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Massachusetts
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Government	Retail

Differences between cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cook vs kitchen cook demographics

Here are the differences between cooks' and kitchen cooks' demographics:

	Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

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.

Kitchen cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Inspect clean and utilize ovens, grills, fryers, mixers, etc.
Experience on grills, fryers, knife handling and slicers.
Experience with fryers, weigh machines, slicers and other similarities.
Used electric ovens and electric stoves.
Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.

Cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common cook skills

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

Common kitchen cook skills

Dishes, 13%
Food Handling, 11%
Cleanliness, 8%
Math, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Culinary, 7%

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Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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