Pastry baker vs pastry cook

The differences between pastry bakers and pastry cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a pastry baker, becoming a pastry cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pastry cook has an average salary of $34,858, which is higher than the $32,209 average annual salary of a pastry baker.

The top three skills for a pastry baker include food safety, culinary and mixers. The most important skills for a pastry cook are culinary, cleanliness, and food handling.

Pastry baker vs pastry cook overview

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Cook
Yearly salary	$32,209	$34,858
Hourly rate	$15.49	$16.76
Growth rate	8%	16%
Number of jobs	7,096	136,754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 42%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	12	4

Pastry baker vs pastry cook salary

Pastry bakers and pastry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Cook
Average salary	$32,209	$34,858
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	West Sacramento, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Hyatt Hotels	Sailfish Club of Florida
Best paying industry	Retail	Hospitality

Differences between pastry baker and pastry cook education

There are a few differences between a pastry baker and a pastry cook in terms of educational background:

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 42%	Associate Degree, 51%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	Cornell University

Pastry baker vs pastry cook demographics

Here are the differences between pastry bakers' and pastry cooks' demographics:

	Pastry Baker	Pastry Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.6% Asian, 10.2% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 22.5% Asian, 9.6% White, 51.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pastry baker and pastry cook duties and responsibilities

Pastry baker example responsibilities.

Manage inventory of ingredients and culinary supplies.
Use of mixers, and sheeter for fold doughs.
Prepare recipes for a variety of bake items including cookies, pies, cakes, short breads, and muffins.
Prepare glazes and dough, baking cinnamon rolls, baking bacon, creating donuts, piping, preparing pastry frosting and inventory
Work independently to replenish product to pars -mix and portion muffins, scones, cookies, pies, cakes, etc.
Prepare donuts following instructions and safety guidelines.

Pastry cook example responsibilities.

Manage cold kitchen production for a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant
Clean steamers, hot @ cold line.
Serve customers ordering at the bistro.
Work in dining room during Sunday brunch and buffets serving desserts.
Engage in meetings including an annual board presentation of USDA budget.
Focuse on maintaining budget while meeting USDA and BSA nutrition requirements.

Pastry baker vs pastry cook skills

Common pastry baker skills

Food Safety, 31%
Culinary, 26%
Mixers, 13%
Kitchen Appliances, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Customer Service, 2%

Common pastry cook skills

Culinary, 17%
Cleanliness, 10%
Food Handling, 10%
Quality Standards, 7%
Fine Dining, 6%
Food Safety, 6%