First cook vs line cook

The differences between first 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 first cook and a line cook. Additionally, a first cook has an average salary of $34,044, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.

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

First cook vs line cook overview

	First Cook	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$34,044	$32,894
Hourly rate	$16.37	$15.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	149,060	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

First cook vs line cook salary

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

	First Cook	Line Cook
Average salary	$34,044	$32,894
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $42,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Gate City Bank
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between first cook and line cook education

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

	First Cook	Line Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

First cook vs line cook demographics

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

	First Cook	Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 77.2% Female, 22.8%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 first cook and line cook duties and responsibilities

First cook example responsibilities.

Maintain all charts and records according to ServSafe and Michigan USDA standards
Provide technical instruction and expert guidance on food preparation to earn culinary arts competitions.
Measure ingredients, using measuring cups and spoons.
Assist in loading and unloading of groceries to vessel.
Cater special menus for people with allergies and special diets.
Do inventory, order groceries, implement company policies and procedures.

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.

First cook vs line cook skills

Common first cook skills

Cleanliness, 33%
Patients, 14%
Food Handling, 8%
Culinary, 7%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
HACCP, 4%

Common line cook skills

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

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First Cook vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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