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Date: 07/20/2025

Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Operate auxiliary machines and equipment, such as grinders, canners, and molding presses, to prepare or further process products.
    • Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
    • Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
    • Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
    • Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
    • Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
    • Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
    • Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
    • Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
    • Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
    • Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
    • Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
    • Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
    • Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
    • Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
    • Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
    • Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
    • 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.
    • Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
    • Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
    • Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
    • Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.
    • Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
    • Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
    • Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.

    Skills

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    Knowledge

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • 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.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 38740/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 18.62/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 800
    • Yearly Projected Openings 110

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Self Control
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cooperation

    Tools

    • Bucket conveyors
    • Commercial use food grinders
    • Conveyor feeders
    • Cooking machinery
    • Filling machinery
    • Floor or platform scales
    • Forming machine
    • Hand trucks or accessories
    • Hoists
    • Roasting machinery
    • Sifting machinery
    • Smoking machinery
    • Steaming machinery
    • Water hoses

    Technology

    • Data base user interface and query software
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