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The differences between food preparers and prep cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a prep cook has an average salary of $32,292, which is higher than the $27,717 average annual salary of a food preparer.
The top three skills for a food preparer include food handling, work ethic and food products. The most important skills for a prep cook are food handling, culinary, and sanitation standards.
| Food Preparer | Prep Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $27,717 | $32,292 |
| Hourly rate | $13.33 | $15.53 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 134,113 | 168,265 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Average age | 23 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A food preparer or food preparation worker is the person who executes routine tasks under the supervision of chefs, food service managers, and cooks. Food preparation workers slice meat, cut vegetables, and prepare cold foods. They prepare ingredients of food for recipes as they assist cooks and chefs. Their duties and responsibilities include sifting, marinating, food safety, grating, and knife skills. They are also expected to weigh and measure dry and liquid ingredients.
Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients. They are usually part of an assembly line-like structure in the kitchen. They are often the first station in this assembly line. Prep cooks are in charge of thawing, skinning, cutting, mincing, slicing, and chopping ingredients so that the line cooks can just get these ingredients for their own stations. Prep cooks may also start doing some of the initial activities in the cooking process, such as preparing water for boiling, laying out ingredients, and ensuring that the stoves are clear.
Food preparers and prep cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Preparer | Prep Cook | |
| Average salary | $27,717 | $32,292 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $37,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Commack, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Washington |
| Best paying company | Mount Sinai Health System | Kemps |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a food preparer and a prep cook in terms of educational background:
| Food Preparer | Prep Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food preparers' and prep cooks' demographics:
| Food Preparer | Prep Cook | |
| Average age | 23 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% | Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |