First cook vs fry cook

The differences between first cooks and fry 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 first cook and a fry cook. Additionally, a first cook has an average salary of $34,044, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.

The top three skills for a first cook include cleanliness, patients and food handling. The most important skills for a fry cook are kitchen equipment, customer service, and safety standards.

First cook vs fry cook overview

	First Cook	Fry Cook
Yearly salary	$34,044	$30,622
Hourly rate	$16.37	$14.72
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	149,060	246,323
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

First cook vs fry cook salary

First cooks and fry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	First Cook	Fry Cook
Average salary	$34,044	$30,622
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Fresno, CA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Anthony
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between first cook and fry cook education

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

	First Cook	Fry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

First cook vs fry cook demographics

Here are the differences between first cooks' and fry cooks' demographics:

	First Cook	Fry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8%	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between first cook and fry cook duties and responsibilities

First cook example responsibilities.

Maintain all charts and records according to ServSafe and Michigan USDA standards
Provide technical instruction and expert guidance on food preparation to earn culinary arts competitions.
Measure ingredients, using measuring cups and spoons.
Assist in loading and unloading of groceries to vessel.
Cater special menus for people with allergies and special diets.
Do inventory, order groceries, implement company policies and procedures.

Fry cook example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Grill burgers and used the deep fryers for various foods, clean all equipment at the end of the shift.
Bread and cook chicken, fry foods, run and clean fryers, clean coolers, do dishes general utilities.
Job responsibilities include preparing and executing dishes, as well as assuming responsibility for cleanliness of restaurant.
Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

First cook vs fry cook skills

Common first cook skills

Cleanliness, 33%
Patients, 14%
Food Handling, 8%
Culinary, 7%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
HACCP, 4%

Common fry cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Customer Service, 11%
Safety Standards, 10%
Deep-Fat Fryers, 9%
Food Products, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%

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First Cook
First Cook vs Fry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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