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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
Northwest Minnesota         


IndustryOES Employment (Statewide)OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing850$24.28/hr
Trade, Transportation and UtilitiesN/AN/A
Professional and Business Services60$17.59/hr
 
Geography Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2022-2032
Northeast Minnesota N/AN/AN/A
Northwest Minnesota N/AN/AN/A
Southeast 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
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA N/AN/AN/A
Rochester 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
Southwest Balance of State N/AN/AN/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA 10$18.46/hrN/A
Southwest Minnesota 70$19.83/hr4.3%
Southeast Balance of State 70$19.45/hrN/A
Central Minnesota 90$23.96/hr10.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 530$24.28/hr-0.4%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA 600$24.28/hrN/A
Minnesota 920$24.28/hr1.5%


Occupations Click link for details EmploymentMedian WageProjections
% Change 2022-2032
Food Batchmakers 6,110$18.16/hr7.6%
Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders 1,120$25.63/hr1.1%
Butchers and Meat Cutters 2,420$22.62/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.