Institutional cook vs cook

The differences between institutional cooks and 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 a cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a cook has an average salary of $31,803, 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 a cook are food handling, food service, and cleanliness.

Institutional cook vs cook overview

	Institutional Cook	Cook
Yearly salary	$30,403	$31,803
Hourly rate	$14.62	$15.29
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	106,958	184,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	4

Institutional cook vs cook salary

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

	Institutional Cook	Cook
Average salary	$30,403	$31,803
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Santa Barbara, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Compass Group USA	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between institutional cook and cook education

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

	Institutional Cook	Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Institutional cook vs cook demographics

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

	Institutional Cook	Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between institutional cook and 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.

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Institutional cook vs cook skills

Common institutional cook skills

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

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Institutional Cook
Institutional Cook vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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