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Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$40550	4400	0.6%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$40550

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

4400

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

0.6%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

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 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

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.
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.
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

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

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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