Line Cook Job Description

Line Cooks: A Career in the Restaurant Industry

Are you thinking of turning your love of cooking into a career? Line cooks are often the first step into the restaurant industry, and are the most important part of the operation. It's not the most glamorous position, paying little while requiring a high level of physical and mental exertion every shift.

A skilled and versatile professional line cook is able to execute a wide range of duties with a high level of consistency. Line cooks are hired to cook food for diners. The line cook works under a chef or head cook.

Line cooks often coordinate with other cooks and kitchen staff to get meals out in a timely manner. The pay for line cooks varies depending on the restaurant. A higher-end restaurant may pay more than a casual family restaurant.

Some restaurants have different levels of line cooks, with higher levels earning more pay. Half of cooks earn less than the median hourly rate of $12.10, while the other half earn more. It's not the first thing you would think of when you think of a cook job, but the line cook's duties begin and end with hygiene.

Restaurants can serve safe meals if they pay attention to the important details. Cooks in a well-run kitchen are expected to show up for work well dressed and showered. Cooks may be required to wear hair nets, hats or beard nets to keep their food safe.

Line Cooks: A Generalization of the Line'-Cooker Training

A line cook is a person who prepares food for a restaurant. They prepare and cook food in a specific station, clean up the prep areas and make sure the kitchen is stocked. Line Cooks are helping the Executive Chef in the restaurant.

They usually cut meat, mix sauces or chop vegetables. Line Cooks are usually assigned a certain task each time they work and will stay in that section of the food preparation line for most of their shift. They are responsible for making sure their prep station is set up correctly before they start their shift.

They will also have the kitchen stocked. Line Cooks must check the food prep and storage areas to make sure they don't violate health codes. They are trained to cook sauces, make recipes, and translate instructions into finished dishes.

Candidates can get certifications in safe food handling, gourmet baking and advanced cooking skills. An experienced Line Cook will be able to cook great food. They will know how to chop vegetables, divide meat, cook fish, combine salads, herbs and spices, and portion dishes with precision.

They will know how to operate kitchen appliances and utensils safely. The Line Cook reports to the Chef, Head Chef, Sous Chef or an Executive Chef in the restaurant they work in. The Line Cook will be given instructions at the beginning of their shift.

Line Cooking

I've been a line cook for 16 years. I've worked in the kitchen as well as an expo. It's hard work in a busy restaurant, but it's worth it if you love what you do.

After a couple of weeks of work, you will have learned the menu, and you will be able to quickly cook. A line chef is a piece of shit. It is common sense.

Catering pays a lot of dumb people. Consistency is key and attention to detail is important. Every dish must be the same.

If one cook gets overwhelmed and starts to go down, the whole line is affected. The heat of the dinner service on a busy Saturday night is like no other. You're in the trenches, taking grenades with your fellow cooks for hours, pumping out massive volumes of food.

A lot of patience and ability to work under pressure are what I have. If you're a hot head in the real world, you will fail as a line cook. It is correct.

Line Cooking Resume: A Must Have Strong Skills

When hiring a line cook, hiring managers look for candidates who have a wide range of knowledge and skills related to the preparation of food and drinks in a restaurant. A line cook should know how to prepare, plate and cook a variety of dishes. The line cook should show the soft skills that keep a kitchen running smoothly, such as attention to detail, teamwork and punctuality.

Employers look for specific skills and experience when reviewing resume for a position, because a busy restaurant may not be able to devote a lot of time to training a new line cook. Employers want to know that you have a good knowledge of food preparation and safety standards. If you don't have previous experience as a cook, you need to show that you are flexible, fast learner and motivated.

If you are applying for a job as a line cook, you should include strong skills on your resume. Finding ways to improve your skills as a line cook is what will accomplish the two purposes. The new skills and experience you acquire will make for a more impressive resume.

A Cooking Assistant in a Restaurant

A line cook is responsible for food preparation. They might work in a restaurant. The cooks in the kitchen are the group of people who combine their efforts to cook the recipes and menu items designed by the head chef.

Most employers in the United States don't require a line cook to have formal education. Community colleges and Vocational schools can offer classes in cooking and baking as part of their continuing education curriculum. Food preparation, recipe development, cooking and baking, professional kitchen organization and food safety and sanitization are some of the classes.

A line cook is trained to do their job. Proper vegetable preparation and butchering of meat can be done with prior job experience. If you want to improve your skills and get a degree, you should take a class in cookery.

Line Cooks: A Career Path in Food Operations

Line Cooks are responsible for preparing ingredients at an establishment that serves food, processing customer orders, producing meals and cleaning their workspace to follow health and safety guidelines. Cooks follow recipes, make adjustments based on customer requests, communicate with wait staff, and prepare attractive presentation for each meal. Cooks can be employed at many places.

Personal cooks can work in people's homes. Cooks use their knowledge of the menu to prepare multiple dishes at once, help stock inventory, organize fridges and communicate with other kitchen staff to deliver dishes to customers in a timely manner. They are responsible for interpreting meal orders and producing meals that are the right temperature for diners.

Cooks interact with customers at food stations. A high school degree is required for a job as a cook. Vocational or technical school diplomas are preferred.

The apprenticeship programs are sponsored by the American Culinary Federation and are accredited. A basic cook position requires little to no experience, but more experience will give you skills and talents that will be useful. Many cooks become proficient in their trade through experience, beginning in food preparation or as a kitchen helpers to learn the basics of cooking, then progressing to become an assistant cook or line cook and eventually becoming a full cook.

Others learn through apprenticeships. Good cooks thrive in high-pressure environments so that they can produce large amounts of high-quality dishes during lunch and dinner rushes. They can work behind a hot grill doing physical labor for long shifts.