Sous chef vs cook

The differences between sous chefs and cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a sous chef, becoming a cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $31,803 average annual salary of a cook.

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

Sous chef vs cook overview

	Sous Chef	Cook
Yearly salary	$48,716	$31,803
Hourly rate	$23.42	$15.29
Growth rate	15%	16%
Number of jobs	22,393	184,818
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	High School Diploma, 45%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	6	4

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.

What does a cook do?

Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed. They are also responsible for managing the inventory and ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked. They prepare meals from scratch, cutting ingredients, measuring them, and following recipes. Cooks should be creative, especially when ingredients are lacking, and they must find alternatives that will not compromise the food taste. They should be precise, imaginative, and patient. Cooks should also have good time management skills and decision-making skills.

Sous chef vs cook salary

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

	Sous Chef	Cook
Average salary	$48,716	$31,803
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $70,000	Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	RH	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between sous chef and cook education

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

	Sous Chef	Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	High School Diploma, 45%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	-

Sous chef vs cook demographics

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

	Sous Chef	Cook
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between sous chef and cook duties and responsibilities

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.

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Sous chef vs cook skills

Common sous chef skills

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

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Sous Chef vs Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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