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What is a kitchen cook and how to become one
A kitchen cook is someone who works in a kitchen and prepares delicious food to feed hungry customers. While most kitchen cooks work in restaurants, they can also work in school cafeterias, hospitals, or other places where people need to be fed. They usually follow the direction of a chef, who is the head of a kitchen and creates the menu.
It goes without saying that kitchen cooks need to be good at cooking food. However, cooking in a busy kitchen requires some additional skills than when you're just whipping up a tasty sauce at home. Kitchen cooks need to be able to work quickly in a confined, crowded space to serve many customers. They also need to follow strict safety regulations so that their kitchen doesn't get shut down by government inspectors.
There are many paths to becoming a kitchen cook. Some cooks choose to get a bachelor's degree or go to culinary school. However, most work their way up to this position with practical restaurant experience alone. Cooks only earn an average salary of $26,674 and spend many long hours working on their feet, but for many, the satisfaction of preparing good food for customers is worth the work.
Avg. Salary $31,452
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 16%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.13%
Asian 9.08%
Black or African American 8.49%
Hispanic or Latino 17.75%
Unknown 4.72%
White 58.82%
Genderfemale 34.21%
male 65.79%
Age - 37American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 37Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is basic
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Kitchen cook career paths
Key steps to become a kitchen cook
Explore kitchen cook education requirements
Start to develop specific kitchen cook skills
Skills Percentages Dishes 12.84% Food Handling 10.61% Cleanliness 8.04% Math 7.67% Basic Math 7.55% Complete relevant kitchen cook training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New kitchen cooks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a kitchen cook based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real kitchen cook resumes.Gain additional kitchen cook certifications
More About CertificationsKitchen cook certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific kitchen cook certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for kitchen cooks include Certified Food Manager (CFM) and OSHA Safety Certificate .
Research kitchen cook duties and responsibilities
- Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
- Inspect clean and utilize ovens, grills, fryers, mixers, etc.
- Experience on grills, fryers, knife handling and slicers.
- Experience with fryers, weigh machines, slicers and other similarities.
Prepare your kitchen cook resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your kitchen cook resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a kitchen cook resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable kitchen cook resume templates
Build a professional kitchen cook resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your kitchen cook resume.
Apply for kitchen cook jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a kitchen cook job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first kitchen cook job
Are you a kitchen cook?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average kitchen cook salary
The average kitchen cook salary in the United States is $31,452 per year or $15 per hour. Kitchen cook salaries range between $25,000 and $38,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do kitchen cooks rate their job?
Kitchen cook reviews
Because ,I like making sure the dishes etc,food is prepared for customers!!!
A total time you spend knowing and communicate and get attachment to the clients
Leaving work when it's time to leave
I like being able to work with food and get creative. I enjoy learning new techniques for a set of skills that can be applied outside the workplace.
It's pretty stressful on the body. I definitely could not see myself doing this the rest of my life; I am 19 and I can admit it's hard work - and I would consider myself in shape. Like dishwashers, I do consider myself underappreciated as well. We don't make very much money - In some cases, the servers make more than us! I think it's because our specific organization doesn't allow the kitchen staff to get tips at all.
Updated January 8, 2025
