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The differences between grill 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 grill cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a grill cook has an average salary of $31,895, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.
The top three skills for a grill cook include sanitation standards, kitchen equipment and safety standards. The most important skills for a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.
| Grill Cook | Kitchen Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $31,895 | $31,452 |
| Hourly rate | $15.33 | $15.12 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 184,603 | 250,354 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A grill cook's primary role is to take charge of grilling food in restaurants or a similar establishment. Aside from grilling different kinds of food, they are also responsible for the plating, ensuring that it looks presentable and mouth-watering. Moreover, grill cooks have other duties such as preparing supplies and ingredients, maintaining the cleanliness of the work area, and training new members of the workforce. It is also essential to coordinate with other restaurant staff at all times as the operations can be fast-paced and will require accuracy and speed.
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.
Grill cooks and kitchen cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Grill Cook | Kitchen Cook | |
| Average salary | $31,895 | $31,452 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $39,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | St. Petersburg Yacht Club | Hilltop Ski Area |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Retail |
There are a few differences between a grill cook and a kitchen cook in terms of educational background:
| Grill Cook | Kitchen Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 48% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between grill cooks' and kitchen cooks' demographics:
| Grill Cook | Kitchen Cook | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1% | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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% |