What is a Food Cooking Machine Operator or Tender?
Job Description & Duties Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.
Life As a Cooking Machine Operator: What Do They Do?
- Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.
- Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
- Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
- Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
- Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
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Skills Needed to be a Cooking Machine Operator
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Types of Cooking Machine Operator Jobs
- Kettle Fry Cook Operator
- Chocolate Temperer
- Gum Maker
- Thermo Processor
- Thermoscrew Operator
Job Opportunities for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders
There were about 37,200 jobs for Food Cooking Machine Operator or Tender in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 2.4% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 900 new jobs for Food Cooking Machine Operator or Tender by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 5,200 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Cooking Machine Operator are Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont. Watch out if you plan on working in North Dakota, New Mexico, or Missouri. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Cooking Machine Operator Average Salary
The typical yearly salary for Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders is somewhere between $21,230 and $45,400.

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders who work in Michigan, Oregon, or Nebraska, make the highest salaries.
How much do Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $26,750 |
Arkansas | $34,190 |
California | $30,120 |
Colorado | $31,110 |
Connecticut | $30,980 |
Florida | $25,990 |
Georgia | $26,410 |
Hawaii | $37,710 |
Idaho | $36,410 |
Illinois | $31,740 |
Indiana | $30,310 |
Iowa | $34,940 |
Kansas | $35,780 |
Kentucky | $34,180 |
Louisiana | $32,200 |
Maine | $29,980 |
Maryland | $28,800 |
Massachusetts | $35,950 |
Michigan | $38,600 |
Minnesota | $34,730 |
Mississippi | $27,440 |
Missouri | $28,840 |
Nebraska | $41,260 |
Nevada | $29,850 |
New Hampshire | $27,680 |
New Jersey | $31,420 |
New Mexico | $24,740 |
New York | $33,290 |
North Carolina | $30,690 |
North Dakota | $33,330 |
Ohio | $35,260 |
Oklahoma | $30,030 |
Oregon | $35,760 |
Pennsylvania | $34,540 |
South Carolina | $32,110 |
South Dakota | $30,150 |
Tennessee | $30,640 |
Texas | $28,130 |
Utah | $35,430 |
Virginia | $32,210 |
Washington | $34,940 |
Wisconsin | $35,410 |
What Tools & Technology do Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders may use on a daily basis:
- Database software
Becoming a Cooking Machine Operator
Are there Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders education requirements?

What work experience do I need to become a Cooking Machine Operator?

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders Sector

The table below shows the approximate number of Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders employed by various industries.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Career changers with experience as a Food Cooking Machine Operator or Tender sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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