Prep cook vs sous chef

The differences between prep cooks and sous chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a prep cook, becoming a sous chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $32,292 average annual salary of a prep cook.

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

Prep cook vs sous chef overview

	Prep Cook	Sous Chef
Yearly salary	$32,292	$48,716
Hourly rate	$15.53	$23.42
Growth rate	16%	15%
Number of jobs	168,265	22,393
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	Associate Degree, 51%
Average age	38	42
Years of experience	4	6

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.

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

Prep cook vs sous chef salary

Prep cooks and sous chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Prep Cook	Sous Chef
Average salary	$32,292	$48,716
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $33,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Atlantic City, NJ
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Kemps	RH
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between prep cook and sous chef education

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

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

Prep cook vs sous chef demographics

Here are the differences between prep cooks' and sous chefs' demographics:

	Prep Cook	Sous Chef
Average age	38	42
Gender ratio	Male, 61.3% Female, 38.7%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between prep cook and sous chef duties and responsibilities

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.

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Prep cook vs sous chef skills

Common prep cook skills

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

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

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Prep Cook vs Sous Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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