Specialty cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between specialty 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 specialty cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a specialty cook has an average salary of $33,829, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

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

Specialty cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Specialty Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$33,829	$31,452
Hourly rate	$16.26	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,369	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Specialty cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Specialty Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$33,829	$31,452
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between specialty cook and kitchen cook education

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

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

Specialty cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Specialty Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.5% Asian, 9.0% White, 55.3% 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 specialty cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

Specialty cook example responsibilities.

Work grill, saut, & expediter stations.
Complete culinary tasks using various cooking methods and techniques/ very good knife handling skills.
Work all stations, saut, grill, pantry, fryer, breakfast, in upscale American bistro.
Maintain cleanliness and a sanitary environment within kitchen area to meet all health and safety requirements.
Unload and store groceries and supplies.
Maintain balance inventories of groceries and supplies.

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.

Specialty cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common specialty cook skills

Food Handling, 23%
Culinary, 16%
Kitchen Equipment, 16%
Cuisine, 12%
Food Quality, 7%
Fine Dining, 5%

Common kitchen cook skills

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

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Specialty Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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