Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
Human Advantage 61%
Significant human skills needed
AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
3.9 / 10
Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.
Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.
Also Known As: Bakery Fryer, Blanching Machine Operator, Boiler, Brine Maker, Casing Cooker, Chip Fryer, Chocolate Temperer, Coconut Boiler +70 more
Core 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.
Supplemental Tasks (3)
- 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.
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.
Technology & Tools
Software (1)
Tools & Equipment (30)
Where This Career Leads
Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.
Production & Automation Advanced Manufacturing
Zone 1
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers 74% match
Zone 2
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders You are here
Zone 3
Chemical Technicians 75% match
Zone 4
Zone 5
Microsystems Engineers 73% match
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