How To Become A Pantry Cook: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pantry cook and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pantry cook. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.14 an hour? That's $33,568 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 419,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePantry CookUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,568

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.21%

Asian 8.84%

Black or African American 8.91%

Hispanic or Latino 21.10%

Unknown 4.85%

White 55.09%

Gender

female 43.22%

male 56.78%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.3

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pantry cook

Explore pantry cook education requirements

Most common pantry cook degrees

Associate

39.0 %

High School Diploma

28.5 %

Bachelor's

17.9 %

Start to develop specific pantry cook skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Handling	19.88%
Cleanliness	18.24%
Kitchen Equipment	17.84%
Quality Standards	15.93%
Fine Dining	6.70%

Complete relevant pantry cook training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pantry 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 pantry cook based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pantry cook resumes.

Gain additional pantry cook certifications

Pantry 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 pantry cook certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for pantry cooks include Certified Food Manager (CFM) and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification.

More About Certifications

Research pantry cook duties and 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.

Prepare your pantry cook resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pantry 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 pantry 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 pantry cook resume templates

Build a professional pantry 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 pantry cook resume.

Apply for pantry cook jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a pantry 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 do pantry cooks rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Pantry cook reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

I love to cook make arts everyday from cooking most especially making salads

Cons

I don’t like to be underestimated in my field, I don’t like to be looked down on in my field

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

I enjoy tastes the different types fry foods but there are different methods of cooking

Cons

Domot like Veal and lamp

What is a pantry cook and how to become one

Pantry cook career paths

Key steps to become a pantry cook

Explore pantry cook education requirements

Most common pantry cook degrees

Start to develop specific pantry cook skills

Complete relevant pantry cook training and internships

Gain additional pantry cook certifications

Research pantry cook duties and responsibilities

Prepare your pantry cook resume

Choose from 10+ customizable pantry cook resume templates

Apply for pantry cook jobs

How did you land your first pantry cook job

Average pantry cook salary

How do pantry cooks rate their job?

Pantry cook reviews