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Occupational Employment Statistics


DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-3093 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. Excludes “Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders" (51-3091).

Geography Click link for Career Profile EmploymentEmp SE*Percentiles
Mean10th25thMedian75th90th
Southwest Minnesota 5011$20.02/hr$16.14/hr$16.50/hr$20.06/hr$21.63/hr$25.16/hr
Minnesota 38034$22.49/hr$17.65/hr$20.16/hr$23.40/hr$25.17/hr$25.58/hr
U S 27,6601,051$20.49/hr$14.92/hr$17.26/hr$19.81/hr$23.18/hr$26.47/hr


IndustryOES Employment (Statewide)OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing340$23.40/hr
Professional and Business ServicesN/AN/A
 
Geography Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2022-2032
Central Minnesota N/AN/A10.6%
Northeast Minnesota N/AN/AN/A
Northwest Minnesota N/AN/AN/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA N/AN/AN/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
St Cloud MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Northwest Balance of State N/AN/AN/A
Northeast Balance of State N/AN/AN/A
Southeast Minnesota 40$20.57/hrN/A
Southwest Balance of State 40$19.74/hrN/A
Southwest Minnesota 50$20.06/hr4.3%
Southeast Balance of State 50$20.57/hrN/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 170$25.17/hr-0.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA 200$25.17/hrN/A
Minnesota 380$23.40/hr1.5%


Occupations Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2022-2032
Food Batchmakers 5,930$19.15/hr7.6%
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders 900$23.39/hr1.1%
Butchers and Meat Cutters 2,160$21.70/hr1.1%


  • 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.
  • Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
  • Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
  • Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
  • Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
  • Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
  • Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
  • Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
  • Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.