Fry cook vs assistant cook

The differences between fry cooks and assistant 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 fry cook and an assistant cook. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.

The top three skills for a fry cook include kitchen equipment, customer service and safety standards. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Fry cook vs assistant cook overview

	Fry Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$30,622	$34,244
Hourly rate	$14.72	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	246,323	190,245
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Fry cook vs assistant cook salary

Fry cooks and assistant cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fry Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$30,622	$34,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Anthony	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between fry cook and assistant cook education

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

	Fry Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Fry cook vs assistant cook demographics

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

	Fry Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between fry cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

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.

Assistant cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate stoves, food processors, steamers, slices, ovens.
Ensure ovens and stoves are clean and ready for use.
Train new and current cooks on menu conversion, garnishing, and food presentation.
Prepare and deliver food trays to hospital patients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Supervise and maintain HACCP standards, training processes for cooks and monitor aspects of contract compliance.

Fry cook vs assistant cook skills

Common fry cook skills

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

Common assistant cook skills

Food Handling, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Dishes, 9%
Food Service, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%

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Fry Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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