Third cook vs line cook

The differences between third 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 third cook and a line cook. Additionally, a third cook has an average salary of $33,974, which is higher than the $32,894 average annual salary of a line cook.

The top three skills for a third cook include food preparation, kitchen equipment and culinary. The most important skills for a line cook are culinary, sanitation standards, and food handling.

Third cook vs line cook overview

	Third Cook	Line Cook
Yearly salary	$33,974	$32,894
Hourly rate	$16.33	$15.81
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	137,854	168,993
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	4	4

Third cook vs line cook salary

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

	Third Cook	Line Cook
Average salary	$33,974	$32,894
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	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 third cook and line cook education

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

	Third Cook	Line Cook
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 37%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Third cook vs line cook demographics

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

	Third Cook	Line Cook
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0%	Male, 73.1% Female, 26.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 8.4% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	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 third cook and line cook duties and responsibilities

Third cook example responsibilities.

Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Operate mixers and manage ingredients to meet product quality and uniformity standards.
Maintain and follow proper hygiene and sanitation standards.

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.

Third cook vs line cook skills

Common third cook skills

Food Preparation, 31%
Kitchen Equipment, 29%
Culinary, 25%
HACCP, 15%
Kitchen Line, 0%

Common line cook skills

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

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Third Cook vs Line Cook

Updated January 8, 2025

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