Lead line cook vs pantry cook

The differences between lead line cooks and pantry 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 line cook and a pantry cook. Additionally, a lead line cook has an average salary of $34,293, which is higher than the $33,568 average annual salary of a pantry cook.

The top three skills for a lead line cook include kitchen equipment, culinary and fine dining. The most important skills for a pantry cook are food handling, cleanliness, and kitchen equipment.

Lead line cook vs pantry cook overview

	Lead Line Cook	Pantry Cook
Yearly salary	$34,293	$33,568
Hourly rate	$16.49	$16.14
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	173,672	145,348
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 39%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Lead line cook vs pantry cook salary

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

	Lead Line Cook	Pantry Cook
Average salary	$34,293	$33,568
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $45,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Kirkland, WA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	The Culinary Institute of America	-
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between lead line cook and pantry cook education

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

	Lead Line Cook	Pantry Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 47%	Associate Degree, 39%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Lead line cook vs pantry cook demographics

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

	Lead Line Cook	Pantry Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%	Male, 56.8% Female, 43.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 8.9% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between lead line cook and pantry cook duties and responsibilities

Lead line cook example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Skil in the preparation of a variety of culinary styles ranging from contemporary American cuisine to many international culinary styles.
Train and supervise many of the Spanish- speaking dishwashers to work effectively on the line.
Observe workers engage in preparing, portioning, and garnishing foods to ensure that standards are met.
Follow HACCP system, and practice safety and sanitation as well adhere to the company policies and regulations.
Produce HACCP forms and guidelines to have better awareness of quality of food being produce in the kitchen.

Pantry cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Use of meat slicers, oven and stove.
Monitor garnishing of desserts and salads for plating.
Handle mixing machines and deli slicers per health regulations.
Maintain all HACCP sanitation guidelines on a daily basis.
Perform culinary skills such as cooking, prepping, and cleaning.

Lead line cook vs pantry cook skills

Common lead line cook skills

Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Culinary, 11%
Fine Dining, 9%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Handling, 8%
Customer Service, 7%

Common pantry cook skills

Food Handling, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Kitchen Equipment, 18%
Quality Standards, 16%
Fine Dining, 7%
Salad Dressings, 4%

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Lead Line Cook
Lead Line Cook vs Pantry Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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