Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
SOC: 35-2012.00

Description:

Prepare and cook large quantities of food for institutions, such as schools, hospitals, or cafeterias.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Employment Projections:

Employment (2014):
417,600 employed

Projected (2024):
443,900 employed

Projected growth (2014-2024)


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 2014-2024 employment projections external site. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2014-2024). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Alternate Titles:

  • Boarding House Cook
  • Cafeteria Cook
  • Cafeteria Manager
  • Cafeteria Supervisor
  • Camp Cook
  • Cook
  • Cook (Dinner)
  • Cook (Elementary School)
  • Cook at School
  • Cook, Cashier, Food Prep (Cafeteria Worker)
  • Culinary Specialist
  • Diet Kitchen Cook
  • Dietary Cook
  • Dinner Cook
  • First Cook
  • Food and Nutrition Services Assistant
  • Food Service Specialist
  • Galley Cook
  • Institutional Cook
  • Lead Cook
  • Line Cook
  • Main Entree Cook and Cashier
  • Mess Cook
  • PM Head Cook
  • Prep Cook
  • Ranch Cook
  • Roundsman
  • School Cafeteria Cook
  • School Cook
  • Second Cook and Baker
  • Ship's Cook
  • Special Diet Cook
  • Third Cook
  • Vegetables Cook

    • Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

    Education:

    These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Operations Analysis
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Troubleshooting
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Production and Processing
  • Food Production
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Chemistry
  • Psychology
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Communications and Media

    • Tasks:

  • Clean and inspect galley equipment, kitchen appliances, and work areas to ensure cleanliness and functional operation.
  • Apportion and serve food to facility residents, employees, or patrons.
  • Cook foodstuffs according to menus, special dietary or nutritional restrictions, or numbers of portions to be served.
  • Clean, cut, and cook meat, fish, or poultry.
  • Monitor use of government food commodities to ensure that proper procedures are followed.
  • Wash pots, pans, dishes, utensils, and other cooking equipment.
  • Compile and maintain records of food use and expenditures.
  • Direct activities of one or more workers who assist in preparing and serving meals.
  • Bake breads, rolls, and other pastries.
  • Train new employees.
  • Take inventory of supplies and equipment.
  • Monitor menus and spending to ensure that meals are prepared economically.
  • Plan menus that are varied, nutritionally balanced, and appetizing, taking advantage of foods in season and local availability.
  • Requisition food supplies, kitchen equipment, and appliances, based on estimates of future needs.
  • Determine meal prices, based on calculations of ingredient prices.

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Apple corers
  • Blast chillers
  • Blenders
  • Bone saws
  • Box graters
  • Braziers
  • Bread slicers
  • Broilers
  • Cappuccino makers
  • Carbonated beverage dispensers
  • Cash registers
  • Chefs' knives
  • Commercial coffee grinders
  • Commercial coffeemakers
  • Commercial dishwashers
  • Commercial ice cream machines
  • Commercial kitchen convection ovens
  • Commercial kitchen steamers
  • Commercial microwave ovens
  • Commercial stand mixers
  • Commercial use combination ovens
  • Convection ovens
  • Conveyor ovens
  • Cream whippers
  • Desktop computers
  • Disposal units
  • Double boilers
  • Electric deep-fat fryers
  • Electric stoves
  • Fire suppression blankets
  • Food dicers
  • Food processors
  • Food shredders
  • Food slicers
  • Garbage compactors
  • Gas stoves
  • Gas-powered deep-fat fryers
  • Griddles
  • Grills
  • Hot dog cookers
  • Ice shaving or crushing equipment
  • Ice-making machines
  • Infrared heat lamps
  • Juice dispensers
  • Juice extractors
  • Kitchen fire extinguishers
  • Kitchen shears
  • Kitchen tongs
  • Knife sharpeners
  • Mandolines
  • Meat grinders
  • Meat thermometers
  • Mixers
  • Oyster knives
  • Paring knives
  • Parisian cutters
  • Pasta machines
  • Personal computers
  • Pizza ovens
  • Point of sale POS computer terminals
  • Portion scales
  • Pressurized steam cookers
  • Refrigerator thermometers
  • Rice cookers
  • Rotisserie ovens
  • Salamanders
  • Serrated blade knives
  • Sieves
  • Sifters
  • Steam kettles
  • Steam tables
  • Strainers
  • Tilt skillets
  • Toasters
  • Touch screen monitors
  • Waffle makers
  • Woks
  • Data entry software
  • GNOME Gnutrition
  • IBM Lotus 1-2-3
  • Meals Plus software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • PCS Revenue Control Systems FASTRAK School Meal Software
  • Point of sale POS software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software

    • food preparation and serving related

    industry stats

    SOC: 35-0000

    Total Employed: 12,577,080

    Average Annual Salary: $22,850