Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
• 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.
• Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
• Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
• Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
• Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
• Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
• Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
• Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
• 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.
• Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
• Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
• 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.
• Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
• 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.
• Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
• Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
• Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
• Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.
• Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
• 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.

Skills

• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• 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.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• 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.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

Abilities

• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.

Knowledge

• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• 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.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

48020/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

23.09/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

750

Yearly Projected Openings

110

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