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The differences between pastry chef assistants and line cooks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a pastry chef assistant, becoming a line cook takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a pastry chef assistant has an average salary of $42,896, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.
The top three skills for a pastry chef assistant include kitchen equipment, customer service and culinary. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.
| Pastry Chef Assistant | Line Cook | |
| Yearly salary | $42,896 | $32,894 |
| Hourly rate | $20.62 | $15.81 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 19,000 | 168,993 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Typically, a pastry chef assistant provides help in the daily operations of the pastry kitchen or bakery. Assistant chefs work with the head baker and schedule and supervise kitchen staff and other pastry chefs in their day-to-day tasks. The chefs ensure the availability of all ingredients for the preparation of pastries and any other desserts. Their responsibilities involve the maintenance of food item inventory, handling safe refrigerated and non-refrigerated item storage, and rotating stock.
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.
Pastry chef assistants and line cooks have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Pastry Chef Assistant | Line Cook | |
| Average salary | $42,896 | $32,894 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $66,000 | Between $26,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Atlantic City, NJ | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Catholic Health East | Gate City Bank |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a pastry chef assistant and a line cook in terms of educational background:
| Pastry Chef Assistant | Line Cook | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 32% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between pastry chef assistants' and line cooks' demographics:
| Pastry Chef Assistant | Line Cook | |
| Average age | 42 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 51.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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 | 9% | 6% |