Kitchen chef vs head cook

The differences between kitchen chefs and head cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a kitchen chef and a head cook. Additionally, a head cook has an average salary of $44,412, which is higher than the $37,579 average annual salary of a kitchen chef.

The top three skills for a kitchen chef include culinary, food handling and quality standards. The most important skills for a head cook are kitchen equipment, meal preparation, and food service.

Kitchen chef vs head cook overview

	Kitchen Chef	Head Cook
Yearly salary	$37,579	$44,412
Hourly rate	$18.07	$21.35
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	33,785	156,227
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Kitchen chef vs head cook salary

Kitchen chefs and head cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Chef	Head Cook
Average salary	$37,579	$44,412
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $57,000	Between $32,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	San Antonio, TX
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between kitchen chef and head cook education

There are a few differences between a kitchen chef and a head cook in terms of educational background:

	Kitchen Chef	Head Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	High School Diploma, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Kitchen chef vs head cook demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen chefs' and head cooks' demographics:

	Kitchen Chef	Head Cook
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0%	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between kitchen chef and head cook duties and responsibilities

Kitchen chef example responsibilities.

Integrate key culinary leaders into casino and food and beverage operations, achieving positive results and industry awards.
Create and prepare international cuisine for executive clientele by using ingenuity, organization, efficiency in production and attention to detail
Cook menu items on a grill, broiler, and used a deep fryer, oven, stove, and toaster.
Monitor the buffets, organize inventory, purchase orders, record temperatures, make chocolate sculptures, and sugar sculptures.

Head cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Accommodate all campers and staff with dietary restrictions, food allergies as well as providing vegetarian and vegan options.
Follow all equipment and safety procedures in all operations including slicers, choppers, mixers and other meal processing equipment.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Scramble eggs, sausage, potatoes, biscits and gravy.
Create and execute menus for the buffets.

Kitchen chef vs head cook skills

Common kitchen chef skills

Culinary, 16%
Food Handling, 13%
Quality Standards, 11%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Storage, 5%

Common head cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 41%
Meal Preparation, 15%
Food Service, 7%
Food Preparation, 3%
Quality Standards, 3%
Safety Standards, 2%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Kitchen Chef
Kitchen Chef vs Head Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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