Institutional cook vs assistant cook

The differences between institutional cooks and assistant cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an institutional cook, becoming an assistant cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an assistant cook has an average salary of $34,244, which is higher than the $30,403 average annual salary of an institutional cook.

The top three skills for an institutional cook include food handling, kitchen equipment and culinary. The most important skills for an assistant cook are food handling, kitchen equipment, and dishes.

Institutional cook vs assistant cook overview

	Institutional Cook	Assistant Cook
Yearly salary	$30,403	$34,244
Hourly rate	$14.62	$16.46
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	106,958	190,245
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	4

Institutional cook vs assistant cook salary

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

	Institutional Cook	Assistant Cook
Average salary	$30,403	$34,244
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $26,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Compass Group USA	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between institutional cook and assistant cook education

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

	Institutional Cook	Assistant Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Institutional cook vs assistant cook demographics

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

	Institutional Cook	Assistant Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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 institutional cook and assistant cook duties and responsibilities

Institutional cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Ensure customers convenience are met/exceed by accommodating and notifying customers of ingredients that may trigger food allergies or intolerance.
Provide leadership that promotes and exemplifies excellent customer service.

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.

Institutional cook vs assistant cook skills

Common institutional cook skills

Food Handling, 32%
Kitchen Equipment, 23%
Culinary, 15%
Slicers, 7%
Mixers, 7%
Broilers, 4%

Common assistant cook skills

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

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Institutional Cook vs Assistant Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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