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Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$40,550	4100	1.0%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$40,550

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

4100

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

1.0%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

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

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Related Work Experience: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Detailed Work Activities

Record operational or production data.
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.
Operate cooking, baking, or other food preparation equipment.
Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
Inspect food products.
Collect samples of materials or products for testing.
Monitor instruments to ensure proper production conditions.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
Review blueprints or other instructions to determine operational methods or sequences.
Clean work areas.
Sterilize food cooking or processing equipment.
Adjust temperature controls of ovens or other heating equipment.
Operate pumping systems or equipment.
Operate cooking, baking, or other food preparation equipment.
Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate coolant flow.
Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.
Signal others to coordinate work activities.
Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of production materials or products.
Move products, materials, or equipment between work areas.
Load materials into production equipment.
Lift materials or workpieces using cranes or other lifting equipment.
Operate mixing equipment.
Operate grinding equipment.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
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.
Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Operate auxiliary machines and equipment, such as grinders, canners, and molding presses, to prepare or further process products.
Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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