Cold meat cook vs line cook, prep cook

The differences between cold meat cooks and line cooks, prep cook can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cold meat cook and a line cook, prep cook. Additionally, a line cook, prep cook has an average salary of $32,982, which is higher than the $31,354 average annual salary of a cold meat cook.

The top three skills for a cold meat cook include kitchen equipment, food handling and HACCP. The most important skills for a line cook, prep cook are kitchen equipment, food handling, and culinary.

Cold meat cook vs line cook, prep cook overview

	Cold Meat Cook	Line Cook, Prep Cook
Yearly salary	$31,354	$32,982
Hourly rate	$15.07	$15.86
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	146,407	164,756
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Cold meat cook vs line cook, prep cook salary

Cold meat cooks and line cooks, prep cook have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cold Meat Cook	Line Cook, Prep Cook
Average salary	$31,354	$32,982
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	WESTWOOD COUNTRY CLUB OF AUSTIN
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between cold meat cook and line cook, prep cook education

There are a few differences between a cold meat cook and a line cook, prep cook in terms of educational background:

	Cold Meat Cook	Line Cook, Prep Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cold meat cook vs line cook, prep cook demographics

Here are the differences between cold meat cooks' and line cooks, prep cook' demographics:

	Cold Meat Cook	Line Cook, Prep Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 9.1% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cold meat cook and line cook, prep cook duties and responsibilities

Cold meat cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Empty fryers and replace with cleaner or new grease.
Leverage teamwork to fully utilize kitchen staff to generate remarkable food and service to ensure customer satisfaction.
Cook food to order; prep cook and stock; clean and sanitize tables; customer service
Ensure food area are filled and prep food for hot cooks and salad bar cold and hot items.
Provide friendly, quality, customer service to each Chipotle customer.

Line cook, prep cook example responsibilities.

Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Prepare cold foods, operate ovens, stoves, grills, microwaves, and fryers.
Expedite orders while maintaining food being cook in ovens, griddles, stoves and fryers.
Observe and test foods to determine quality and safety by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and fryers.
Set up and break down for any catering parties or buffets.
Cook foods by baking, roasting, broiling, frying, steaming, grilling.

Cold meat cook vs line cook, prep cook skills

Common cold meat cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 29%
Food Handling, 14%
HACCP, 14%
Food Products, 9%
Safety Standards, 9%
Cold Meals, 4%

Common line cook, prep cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 25%
Food Handling, 11%
Culinary, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Salad Station, 6%
Line Cooks, 6%

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Cold Meat Cook vs Line Cook, Prep Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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