Pastry cook vs prep cook

The differences between pastry cooks and prep 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 pastry cook and a prep cook. Additionally, a pastry cook has an average salary of $34,858, which is higher than the $32,292 average annual salary of a prep cook.

The top three skills for a pastry cook include culinary, cleanliness and food handling. The most important skills for a prep cook are food handling, culinary, and sanitation standards.

Pastry cook vs prep cook overview

	Pastry Cook	Prep Cook
Yearly salary	$34,858	$32,292
Hourly rate	$16.76	$15.53
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	136,754	168,265
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a pastry cook do?

The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.

What does a prep cook do?

Prep cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients. They are usually part of an assembly line-like structure in the kitchen. They are often the first station in this assembly line. Prep cooks are in charge of thawing, skinning, cutting, mincing, slicing, and chopping ingredients so that the line cooks can just get these ingredients for their own stations. Prep cooks may also start doing some of the initial activities in the cooking process, such as preparing water for boiling, laying out ingredients, and ensuring that the stoves are clear.

Pastry cook vs prep cook salary

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

	Pastry Cook	Prep Cook
Average salary	$34,858	$32,292
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Washington
Best paying company	Sailfish Club of Florida	Kemps
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between pastry cook and prep cook education

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

	Pastry Cook	Prep Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	High School Diploma, 48%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Cornell University	-

Pastry cook vs prep cook demographics

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

	Pastry Cook	Prep Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 29.8% Female, 70.2%	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between pastry cook and prep cook duties and responsibilities

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.

Prep cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Provide students with first-rate customer service and ensure correct time-temperature control of culinary dishes.
Learned and become CPR certify for emergencies.
Direct and ensure that HACCP procedures are follow.
Plan menu items as needed for caf or catering.
Earn first aid, CPR, and a certification.

Pastry cook vs prep cook skills

Common pastry cook skills

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

Common prep cook skills

Food Handling, 15%
Culinary, 15%
Sanitation Standards, 12%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Cleanliness, 7%
Team Work, 7%

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Pastry Cook
Pastry Cook vs Prep Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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