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The differences between kitchen assistants and kitchen cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen cook has an average salary of $31,452, which is higher than the $27,455 average annual salary of a kitchen assistant.
The top three skills for a kitchen assistant include wine, kitchen equipment and POS. The most important skills for a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.
| Kitchen Assistant | Kitchen Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $27,455 | $31,452 |
| Hourly rate | $13.20 | $15.12 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 78,120 | 250,354 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A kitchen assistant is responsible for assisting chefs, cooks, or managers. Most of the duties are given by supervising officers, and it will revolve around preparing ingredients, cutting or washing meat and vegetables, and performing basic cooking tasks such as boiling and frying. A kitchen assistant is also responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the kitchen, washing used materials, sanitizing utensils, organizing food inventory. Other tasks include unloading deliveries of food supplies and sorting the ingredients accordingly.
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.
Kitchen assistants and kitchen cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Kitchen Assistant | Kitchen Cook | |
| Average salary | $27,455 | $31,452 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $35,000 | Between $25,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Minneapolis, MN | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | University of Massachusetts Boston | Hilltop Ski Area |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Retail |
There are a few differences between a kitchen assistant and a kitchen cook in terms of educational background:
| Kitchen Assistant | Kitchen Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | High School Diploma, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between kitchen assistants' and kitchen cooks' demographics:
| Kitchen Assistant | Kitchen Cook | |
| Average age | 37 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8% | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |