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The differences between dietary cooks and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a dietary cook, becoming a line cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a line cook has an average salary of $32,894, which is higher than the $27,365 average annual salary of a dietary cook.
The top three skills for a dietary cook include patients, food handling and food service. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.
| Dietary Cook | Line Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $27,365 | $32,894 |
| Hourly rate | $13.16 | $15.81 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 191,406 | 168,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A dietary cook specializes in cooking and preparing healthy meals for clients or organizations. It is their duty to follow nutritional plans and guidelines, adhere to portion and quality standards, supervise kitchen staff, and participate in delivering food to rooms or offices. They also monitor the inventory of supplies, maintain the cleanliness of different areas, and keep dishes sanitized at all times. Moreover, a dietary cook must coordinate and maintain an open communication line with fellow kitchen workers to ensure a safe and efficient workflow.
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.
Dietary cooks and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Dietary Cook | Line Cook | |
| Average salary | $27,365 | $32,894 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Omaha, NE | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Utah | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | SantaFe HealthCare | Gate City Bank |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a dietary cook and a line cook in terms of educational background:
| Dietary Cook | Line Cook | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 41% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between dietary cooks' and line cooks' demographics:
| Dietary Cook | Line Cook | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.2% White, 61.7% 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% |