Occupation

Food Batchmakers

Human Advantage 65%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
4.2 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

Set up and operate equipment that mixes or blends ingredients used in the manufacturing of food products. Includes candy makers and cheese makers.

Also Known As: Almond Paste Mixer, Back of House Team Member, Batch Blender, Batch Maker, Batch Mixer, Batcher, Batching Operator, Batter Mixer +140 more

Video

Core Tasks

  1. Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle.
  2. Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas.
  3. Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
  4. Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
  5. Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
  6. Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process.
  7. Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales.
  8. Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps.
  9. Determine mixing sequences, based on knowledge of temperature effects and of the solubility of specific ingredients.
  10. Observe and listen to equipment to detect possible malfunctions, such as leaks or plugging, and report malfunctions or undesirable tastes to supervisors.
  11. Observe gauges and thermometers to determine if the mixing chamber temperature is within specified limits, and turn valves to control the temperature.
  12. Turn valve controls to start equipment and to adjust operation to maintain product quality.
  13. Modify cooking and forming operations based on the results of sampling processes, adjusting time cycles and ingredients to achieve desired qualities, such as firmness or texture.
  14. Examine, feel, and taste product samples during production to evaluate quality, color, texture, flavor, and bouquet, and document the results.

Supplemental Tasks (11)

  1. Test food product samples for moisture content, acidity level, specific gravity, or butter-fat content, and continue processing until desired levels are reached.
  2. Inspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed.
  3. Fill processing or cooking containers, such as kettles, rotating cookers, pressure cookers, or vats, with ingredients, by opening valves, by starting pumps or injectors, or by hand.
  4. Manipulate products, by hand or using machines, to separate, spread, knead, spin, cast, cut, pull, or roll products.
  5. Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles.
  6. Place products on carts or conveyors to transfer them to the next stage of processing.
  7. Homogenize or pasteurize material to prevent separation or to obtain prescribed butterfat content, using a homogenizing device.
  8. Grade food products according to government regulations or according to type, color, bouquet, and moisture content.
  9. Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches.
  10. Formulate or modify recipes for specific kinds of food products.
  11. Inspect and pack the final product.

Education & Training

Job Zone 2 Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
On-the-Job Training: 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 Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
38%
Some College Courses
27%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
22%
Less than a High School Diploma
14%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Office software

Software (3)

  • Edible Software
  • Plex Systems Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Tools & Equipment (49)

  • Agitators
  • Balance scales
  • Ball mills
  • Beaters
  • Candy cookers
  • Candy stoves
  • Centrifugal clarifiers
  • Cheese cutters
  • Cheese finishing tables
  • Cheese presses
  • Cheese vats
  • Chocolate melters
  • Commercial cream separators
  • Commercial induction cookers
  • Commercial use homogenizers
  • Cooker mixers
  • Cooling tables
  • Cream beaters
  • Deep-fry cookers
  • Depositing pumps
  • Digital kitchen thermometers
  • Dough processing machines
  • Evaporators
  • Extruders
  • Flour milling machines
  • Food broilers
  • Food heating cabinets
  • Food sterilizing machines
  • Heating tables
  • Ice cream machines
  • Injector pumps
  • Kettle dollies
  • Kettle lifters
  • Levelers
  • Liquid filling machines
  • Meat cutting machines
  • Meat tenderizing tools
  • Metered transfer pumps
  • Microwave drying machines
  • Revolving pan depositors
  • Roller cutters
  • Sausage machines
  • Sizers
  • Steam-cooking vats
  • Tilting commercial cooking kettles
  • Torque wrenches
  • Vacuum packagers
  • Vibrating tables
  • Water-cooled kettles

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Production & Automation Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 1
Sewing Machine Operators 75% match
Zone 2
Food Batchmakers You are here
Zone 3
Automotive Engineering Technicians 76% match
Zone 4
Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians 75% match
Zone 5
Nanosystems Engineers 74% match

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Real Talk

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