Third cook vs kitchen cook

The differences between third 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 third cook and a kitchen cook. Additionally, a third cook has an average salary of $33,974, which is higher than the $31,452 average annual salary of a kitchen cook.

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

Third cook vs kitchen cook overview

	Third Cook	Kitchen Cook
Yearly salary	$33,974	$31,452
Hourly rate	$16.33	$15.12
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	137,854	250,354
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Third cook vs kitchen cook salary

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

	Third Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average salary	$33,974	$31,452
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $25,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Hilltop Ski Area
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between third cook and kitchen cook education

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

	Third Cook	Kitchen Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 44%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Third cook vs kitchen cook demographics

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

	Third Cook	Kitchen Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0%	Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	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 third cook and kitchen cook duties and responsibilities

Third cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Maintain and follow proper hygiene and sanitation standards.

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.

Third cook vs kitchen cook skills

Common third cook skills

Food Preparation, 31%
Kitchen Equipment, 29%
Culinary, 25%
HACCP, 15%
Kitchen Line, 0%

Common kitchen cook skills

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

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Third Cook vs Kitchen Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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