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.
Fry cook responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real fry cook resumes:
- 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.
Fry cook skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Fry Cooks are proficient in Kitchen Equipment, Customer Service, and Safety Standards. They’re also known for soft skills such as Comprehension, Dexterity, and Sense of taste and smell.
We break down the percentage of Fry Cooks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Recorded customer's orders, served customer's meals, prepared food, maintained kitchen equipment operated register and handled money.
- Customer Service, 11%
Delivered quality customer service and utilized communication skills on a daily basis.
- Safety Standards, 10%
Maintained sanitation, health, and safety standards in work areas which resulted in no deficiencies during health inspections.
- Deep-Fat Fryers, 9%
Operated large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers and griddles.Cleaned food preparation areas, cooking surfaces, and utensils.
- Food Products, 5%
Communicated with the management team throughout the shift regarding the status of orders and availability of food products.
- Fine Dining, 5%
Prepare a wide variety of meals in a fast paced environment Greet guests in order to create a fine dining experience
Most fry cooks use their skills in "kitchen equipment," "customer service," and "safety standards" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential fry cook responsibilities here:
Dexterity. Many fry cook duties rely on dexterity. "cooks should have excellent hand–eye coordination," so a fry cook will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways fry cook responsibilities rely on dexterity: "clean cook areas warehouse specialist floor stripping 2 years supervisory experience of contract workers 9 years forklift skills certified inventory control"
Sense of taste and smell. This is an important skill for fry cooks to perform their duties. For an example of how fry cook responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "cooks must have a keen sense of taste and smell to prepare meals that customers enjoy." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a fry cook: "worked at the main cashier line, fry station, cleaning the lobby and bathrooms, and stocking the counter. ".
Physical stamina. fry cook responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "cooks spend a lot of time standing in one place, cooking food over hot stoves, and cleaning work areas." This resume example shows what fry cooks do with physical stamina on a typical day: "performed all physical activity required in the food preparation and dishwashing process. "
The three companies that hire the most fry cooks are:
- Caesars Entertainment12 fry cooks jobs
- Kingfish Restaurant10 fry cooks jobs
- Sodexo Management, Inc.7 fry cooks jobs
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Compare different fry cooks
Fry cook vs. Cook/dietary aide
A cook/dietary aide is an individual who works along with the dietary managers, cooks, and dieticians. Dietary aides prepare meals, beverages, and snacks. They set up tables or dining areas with proper order and cleanliness. They serve meals and make sure that the hygiene and safety protocols for food are followed all the time. The skills significant for this job include attention to detail, strong communication skills, excellent customer service, and knowledge in food preparation and its safety protocols.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between fry cooks and cook/dietary aide. For instance, fry cook responsibilities require skills such as "deep-fat fryers," "customer orders," "food quality," and "la carte." Whereas a cook/dietary aide is skilled in "meal service," "food handling," "patients," and "food service." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Cook/dietary aides tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,467. In contrast, fry cooks make the biggest average salary, $25,919, in the hospitality industry.cook/dietary aides tend to reach similar levels of education than fry cooks. In fact, cook/dietary aides are 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Fry cook vs. Cook/dishwasher
Cooks/dishwashers must develop kitchen skills to excel in this line of job. Each cook or dishwasher must learn to develop skills in food preparation, sanitation, and customer service. Cooks or dishwashers can be assigned to different areas, either in the kitchen area, food preparation, or in washing dishes. The scope of their responsibilities may include the cooking surface area, specific food items, or menu items. Also, they are expected to maintain the cleanliness of the kitchen, assist in preparing food, and may do any other duties demanded by the chef.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real fry cook resumes. While fry cook responsibilities can utilize skills like "fine dining," "quality standards," "food quality," and "la carte," cook/dishwashers use skills like "wash dishes," "prep food," "mop floors," and "bus tables."
On average, cook/dishwashers earn a higher salary than fry cooks. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, cook/dishwashers earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $27,723. Whereas fry cooks have higher pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $25,919.cook/dishwashers earn similar levels of education than fry cooks in general. They're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Fry cook vs. Line cook/dishwasher
A line cook/dishwasher is primarily in charge of prepping food and maintaining their work station's cleanliness while adhering to health standards and protocols. Among their duties include washing and chopping vegetables, cutting meat according to requirements, preparing sauces, and cooking according to an executive chef's directives. They also participate in cleaning and sterilizing kitchen tools and equipment, monitoring the inventory of ingredients, unloading stock deliveries, and taking care of leftovers. Additionally, as a line cook/dishwasher, it is essential to maintain an open communication line with fellow kitchen staff for an efficient workflow.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from fry cook resumes include skills like "quality standards," "food quality," "la carte," and "mix ingredients," whereas a line cook/dishwasher is more likely to list skills in "food handling," "cleanliness," "culinary," and "line cooks. "
Line cook/dishwashers typically earn similar educational levels compared to fry cooks. Specifically, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Fry cook vs. Line cook, prep cook
A line cook/prep cook is responsible for assisting with food preparations, ensuring that all ingredients are readily available and stored safely. Line cook/prep cook tasks also include reviewing and updating menus to keep the customers' patronization. Their duties also include researching the current food industry trends, managing customers' inquiries, resolving serving complaints, monitoring food supplies and inventories, and complying with sanitary regulations. A line cook/prep cook must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform various tasks under strict time demands and a fast-paced environment.
Types of fry cook
Updated January 8, 2025
