Cook vs line cook

The differences between cooks and line 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 cook and a line cook. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $31,803 average annual salary of a cook.

The top three skills for a cook include food handling, food service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.

Cook vs line cook overview

	Cook	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$31,803	$32,894
Hourly rate	$15.29	$15.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	184,818	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

What does a cook do?

Cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. They must be knowledgeable about the different recipes and ingredients needed. They are also responsible for managing the inventory and ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked. They prepare meals from scratch, cutting ingredients, measuring them, and following recipes. Cooks should be creative, especially when ingredients are lacking, and they must find alternatives that will not compromise the food taste. They should be precise, imaginative, and patient. Cooks should also have good time management skills and decision-making skills.

What does a line cook do?

Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line. This is apt because line cooks are usually assigned to a specific station to work on a specific part of a meal or a preparation process. They are part of a bigger group of cooks in the restaurant. This is done so that meal preparation is more efficient. Line cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients, ensuring that the pantry is well-stocked, and doing their assigned activity in the line. They are expected to be good team players, have experience as a cook, and be able to follow recipes and provide alternatives when necessary.

Cook vs line cook salary

Cooks and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cook	Line Cook
Average salary	$31,803	$32,894
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between cook and line cook education

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

	Cook	Line Cook
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Cook vs line cook demographics

Here are the differences between cooks' and line cooks' demographics:

	Cook	Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 70.2% Female, 29.8%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between cook and line cook duties and responsibilities

Cook example responsibilities.

Achieve completion to cook, prep and dish meticulous meals to an immense amount of customers with proficient dexterity quality.
Organize production and set up broiler station for lunch shift, manage grill with 30-40 steaks at varying temps and cuts.
Lead cook line and instruct cooks and other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, and presentation of dishes.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Develop ability to manage multiple stations simultaneously while maintaining high levels of culinary excellence.
Operate large volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep fryers, and griddles.

Line cook example responsibilities.

Used strong organizational skills to manage steamers efficiently for both eat-in and take-out services.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items, cutting meat size.
Manage the POS system (adding/deleting specials, editing prices, viewing server appetizer/dessert sales and their server report information).
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Used equipment such as meat slicers, salamanders and steamers.
Develop food preparation skills and knowledge of tools involve; such as proper use of knives and automate slicers.

Cook vs line cook skills

Common cook skills

Food Handling, 14%
Food Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Kitchen Equipment, 9%
Basic Math, 7%
Culinary, 6%

Common line cook skills

Culinary, 12%
Sanitation Standards, 11%
Food Handling, 11%
Team Work, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%

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Cook vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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