Fry cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between fry 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 fry cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a kitchen cook has an average salary of $31,452, 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 a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Fry cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Fry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$30,622	$31,452
Hourly rate	$14.72	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	246,323	250,354
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a fry cook do?

Generally, a fry cook works in a kitchen specializing in fried foods and operating the deep fryer. Fry cooks or chefs cook food by submerging in boiling oil. They prepare food to be fried, work with frying pans, and watch over deep fryers. The skills they need to establish include food preparation, dexterity, physical stamina, and comprehension. They are also expected to be understanding and patient, noting that these qualities help impress the customers.

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.

Fry cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Fry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$30,622	$31,452
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Anthony	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between fry cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Fry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 53%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fry cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Fry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
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, 8.5% 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 fry cook and kitchen 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.

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.

Fry cook vs kitchen 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 kitchen cook skills

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

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Fry Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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