Skills
Line Cook Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in line cooks, and how to build and show them.
What skills do line cooks need?
Line Cooks need technical skills such as cooking techniques, knife skills, and station setup, plus people skills like speed and consistency and teamwork. They also use tools such as Grills, flat tops and fryers and Sauté pans and ranges.
Technical (hard) skills
- Cooking techniques
- Knife skills
- Station setup
- Reading tickets
- Food safety
- Plating
People (soft) skills
- Speed and consistency
- Teamwork
- Stamina
- Composure
Tools, equipment and technology
- Grills, flat tops and fryers
- Sauté pans and ranges
- Knives and cutting boards
- Thermometers
- Ticket printers and kitchen display systems
- Sheet pans and storage containers
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how line cooks put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Cooking techniques” and “Knife skills.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “speed and consistency,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Food handler card near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our line cook glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Line Cook training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.