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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $40,550 in the US and is projected to grow 60% over the next decade (much faster than average). Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.54 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,243 a year for Food, drink and tobacco process operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £24,471 to £33,889 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 8111). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure for this career: it falls in more than one occupation group, and the Government of India's labour survey (PLFS) publishes pay only by occupation group.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Production and Processing
- Food Production
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
What you'd actually do
- Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.
- Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.
- Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.
- Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.
- Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
- Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Food cooking machine operators and tenders do?
Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.
How much does Food cooking machine operators and tenders earn?
The median annual salary for Food cooking machine operators and tenders in the US is $40,550.
What is the job outlook for Food cooking machine operators and tenders?
The role is projected to grow 60% over the next decade (much faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 29,700 workers.
How do I become food cooking machine operators and tenders?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Food cooking machine operators and tenders need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Food cooking machine operators and tenders?
Our AI-durability model gives Food cooking machine operators and tenders a score of 0.54 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Food cooking machine operators and tenders has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.