O*NET-SOC 51-3093.00

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.

Preparation

ItemValue
Preparation zoneZone 2 – Some preparation needed
What O*NET says the zone requiresSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed
Broad occupation in O*NETTrue (Yes)
Skills listed for this occupation6
Abilities listed for this occupation6
Tasks listed for this occupation5
Interest scores given for this occupation6

Skills

The 6 skills with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

SkillO*NET elementImportanceDate
Operations Monitoring2.B.3.g3.508/2021
Monitoring2.A.2.d3.1208/2021
Operation and Control2.B.3.h3.1208/2021
Reading Comprehension2.A.1.a3.1208/2021
Active Listening2.A.1.b3.008/2021
Critical Thinking2.A.2.a3.008/2021

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Abilities

The 6 abilities with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

AbilityO*NET elementImportanceDate
Problem Sensitivity1.A.1.b.33.6208/2021
Oral Comprehension1.A.1.a.13.3808/2021
Written Comprehension1.A.1.a.23.3808/2021
Near Vision1.A.4.a.13.2508/2021
Control Precision1.A.2.b.13.1208/2021
Information Ordering1.A.1.b.63.1208/2021

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Tasks

The tasks O*NET records for this occupation, with the type, respondent count and date each record carries.

TaskTypeIncumbents respondingDate
Clean, wash, and sterilize equipment and cooking area, using water hoses, cleaning or sterilizing solutions, or rinses.Core5608/2021
Read work orders, recipes, or formulas to determine cooking times and temperatures, and ingredient specifications.Core5708/2021
Observe gauges, dials, and product characteristics, and adjust controls to maintain appropriate temperature, pressure, and flow of ingredients.Core5608/2021
Measure or weigh ingredients, using scales or measuring containers.Core5608/2021
Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.Core5608/2021

Work interests

The interest scores O*NET gives this occupation, on the six interest types.

InterestScoreDate
Realistic7.011/2023
Conventional4.2111/2023
Investigative1.811/2023
Enterprising1.6311/2023
Social1.411/2023
Artistic1.0511/2023

More occupations in preparation zone 2

Source: O*NET 29.1 Database (Occupation Data, Job Zones, Skills, Abilities, Task Statements, Interests), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Data fetched 2026-10-31. See about and sources.