Specialty cook vs pantry cook

The differences between specialty cooks and pantry 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 pantry cook. Additionally, a specialty cook has an average salary of $33,829, which is higher than the $33,568 average annual salary of a pantry cook.

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

Specialty cook vs pantry cook overview

	Specialty Cook	Pantry Cook
Yearly salary	$33,829	$33,568
Hourly rate	$16.26	$16.14
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	141,369	145,348
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Specialty cook vs pantry cook salary

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

	Specialty Cook	Pantry Cook
Average salary	$33,829	$33,568
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between specialty cook and pantry cook education

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

	Specialty Cook	Pantry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	Associate Degree, 39%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Specialty cook vs pantry cook demographics

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

	Specialty Cook	Pantry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.4% Female, 22.6%	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between specialty cook and pantry 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.

Pantry cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Use of meat slicers, oven and stove.
Monitor garnishing of desserts and salads for plating.
Handle mixing machines and deli slicers per health regulations.
Maintain all HACCP sanitation guidelines on a daily basis.
Perform culinary skills such as cooking, prepping, and cleaning.

Specialty cook vs pantry cook skills

Common specialty cook skills

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

Common pantry cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Quality Standards, 16%
Fine Dining, 7%
Salad Dressings, 4%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Specialty Cook
Specialty Cook vs Pantry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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