Pantry cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between pantry cooks and kitchen 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 pantry cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a pantry cook has an average salary of $33,568, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

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

Pantry cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Pantry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$33,568	$31,452
Hourly rate	$16.14	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	145,348	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Pantry cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Pantry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$33,568	$31,452
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between pantry cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Pantry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pantry cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Pantry Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	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%	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 Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pantry cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

Pantry cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common pantry cook skills

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

Common kitchen cook skills

Dishes, 13%
Food Handling, 11%
Cleanliness, 8%
Math, 8%
Basic Math, 8%
Culinary, 7%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Pantry Cook
Pantry Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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