Meal cook vs pantry cook

The differences between meal cooks and pantry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a meal cook and a pantry cook. Additionally, a pantry cook has an average salary of $33,568, which is higher than the $33,089 average annual salary of a meal cook.

The top three skills for a meal cook include food safety, food preparation and companionship. The most important skills for a pantry cook are food handling, cleanliness, and kitchen equipment.

Meal cook vs pantry cook overview

	Meal Cook	Pantry Cook
Yearly salary	$33,089	$33,568
Hourly rate	$15.91	$16.14
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	147,104	145,348
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Meal cook vs pantry cook salary

Meal cooks and pantry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Meal Cook	Pantry Cook
Average salary	$33,089	$33,568
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between meal cook and pantry cook education

There are a few differences between a meal cook and a pantry cook in terms of educational background:

	Meal Cook	Pantry Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	Associate Degree, 39%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Meal cook vs pantry cook demographics

Here are the differences between meal cooks' and pantry cooks' demographics:

	Meal Cook	Pantry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between meal cook and pantry cook duties and responsibilities

Meal cook example responsibilities.

Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Assist with heavy lifting and drive car to help with groceries and other supplies.
Verify patient information, new medications and allergies educate patients by providing medication and diet information.
Create pizzas for customers as listed or request and run a large pizza oven.

Pantry cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Use of meat slicers, oven and stove.
Monitor garnishing of desserts and salads for plating.
Handle mixing machines and deli slicers per health regulations.
Maintain all HACCP sanitation guidelines on a daily basis.
Perform culinary skills such as cooking, prepping, and cleaning.

Meal cook vs pantry cook skills

Common meal cook skills

Food Safety, 29%
Food Preparation, 22%
Companionship, 10%
Doctor Appointments, 8%
Food Orders, 6%
Administer Medications, 5%

Common pantry cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Quality Standards, 16%
Fine Dining, 7%
Salad Dressings, 4%

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Meal Cook
Meal Cook vs Pantry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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