Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.

Median Annual Wage: $27,590

Projected Growth: Little or no change (-2% to 2%)

Related Job Titles: Machine Operator; Cook; Processor; Processing Operator; Fryer Operator; Kettle Fry Cook Operator; Retort Operator; Mogul Operator; Master Cook; Peeler Operator

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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.

More Production Careers

  • Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
  • Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
  • Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
  • Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
  • Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
  • Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
  • Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
  • Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
  • Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
  • Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
  • Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
  • Admit required amounts of water, steam, cooking oils, or compressed air into equipment, such as by opening water valves to cool mixtures to the desired consistency.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.

  • Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders.

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