What do they do?

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:

Cooker, Cooker Operator, Corn Cooker, Food Production Worker, Fryer Operator, Kettle Fry Cook Operator, Kettle Operator, Machine Operator, Mogul Operator, Oven Operator, Peeler Operator, Retort Operator, Thermo Processor

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is projected to grow 2 percent from 2022 to 2032, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 2.4%

    Change

    Ranks #22 in job growth rate
    130

    Job Openings

    Ranks #10 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • High school diploma equivalent  (44%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (24%)
  • Some college, no degree  (14%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (10%)
  • Associate's degree  (6%)
  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (1%)
  • Master's degree  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

People in this career often do these activities:

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

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.3 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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

careeronestop logo Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development

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