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The differences between lead cooks and fry 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 lead cook and a fry cook. Additionally, a lead cook has an average salary of $35,964, which is higher than the $30,622 average annual salary of a fry cook.
The top three skills for a lead cook include customer service, food handling and culinary. The most important skills for a fry cook are kitchen equipment, customer service, and safety standards.
| Lead Cook | Fry Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $35,964 | $30,622 |
| Hourly rate | $17.29 | $14.72 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 160,223 | 246,323 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead cook, or lead line cook, is an individual restaurant employee who is in charge of supervising the chain of food preparation done by line cooks. Lead cooks work directly under head cooks or chefs who provide instructions in preparing meals. They are well-versed in the restaurant's food health and safety, such as regular hand washing, utensil sanitizing, and proper garbage disposal. To be a successful lead cook, they must obtain knowledge of various cooking techniques and be passionate about food.
Generally, a fry cook works in a kitchen specializing in fried foods and operating the deep fryer. Fry cooks or chefs cook food by submerging in boiling oil. They prepare food to be fried, work with frying pans, and watch over deep fryers. The skills they need to establish include food preparation, dexterity, physical stamina, and comprehension. They are also expected to be understanding and patient, noting that these qualities help impress the customers.
Lead cooks and fry cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Cook | Fry Cook | |
| Average salary | $35,964 | $30,622 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $46,000 | Between $24,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Fresno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Freeport-McMoRan | Anthony |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a lead cook and a fry cook in terms of educational background:
| Lead Cook | Fry Cook | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between lead cooks' and fry cooks' demographics:
| Lead Cook | Fry Cook | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.6% Female, 27.4% | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |