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Kitchen staff vs kitchen cook

The differences between kitchen staff 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 $29,816 average annual salary of a kitchen staff.

The top three skills for a kitchen staff include food handling, cleanliness and sanitation standards. The most important skills for a kitchen cook are dishes, food handling, and cleanliness.

Kitchen staff vs kitchen cook overview

Kitchen StaffKitchen Cook
Yearly salary$29,816$31,452
Hourly rate$14.33$15.12
Growth rate2%16%
Number of jobs154,513250,354
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 43%High School Diploma, 44%
Average age3738
Years of experience-4

What does a kitchen staff do?

The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals. Their responsibilities include the cleanup of dishes, cooking equipment, and the working stations. They also take charge of food safety regulations, storing and sorting of ingredients, and preparing foodstuff.

What does a kitchen cook do?

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 staff vs kitchen cook salary

Kitchen staff and kitchen cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

Kitchen StaffKitchen Cook
Average salary$29,816$31,452
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $37,000Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CityRedwood City, CABoston, MA
Highest paying stateWashingtonMassachusetts
Best paying companyThe Road HomeHilltop Ski Area
Best paying industryEducationRetail

Differences between kitchen staff and kitchen cook education

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

Kitchen StaffKitchen Cook
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 43%High School Diploma, 44%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Kitchen staff vs kitchen cook demographics

Here are the differences between kitchen staff' and kitchen cooks' demographics:

Kitchen StaffKitchen Cook
Average age3738
Gender ratioMale, 56.5% Female, 43.5%Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between kitchen staff and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

Kitchen staff example responsibilities.

  • Assist the catering manager to manage, prepare, cook and deliver each day s caterings.
  • Present an enjoyable and positive atmosphere while preparing an outstanding product, manage inventory, and maintain cleanliness
  • Conduct daily inspections for overall cleanliness of all areas and proper sanitizing of food preparation surfaces.
  • Increase sales by upselling and signing customers up for discount cards
  • Prep food for dinner dishes, bar back, work on fryers, and wash dishes.
  • Cook, wash dishes, serve customers, prepare food for caterings, and stock shelves.
  • Show more

Kitchen cook example 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.
  • Used electric ovens and electric stoves.
  • Regulate temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
  • Show more

Kitchen staff vs kitchen cook skills

Common kitchen staff skills
  • Food Handling, 25%
  • Cleanliness, 21%
  • Sanitation Standards, 13%
  • Quality Food, 9%
  • Food Products, 7%
  • Meal Preparation, 5%
Common kitchen cook skills
  • Dishes, 13%
  • Food Handling, 11%
  • Cleanliness, 8%
  • Math, 8%
  • Basic Math, 8%
  • Culinary, 7%

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