- Operate or tend machines to mix or blend any of a wide variety of materials, such as spices, dough batter, tobacco, fruit juices, chemicals, livestock feed, food products, color pigments, or explosive ingredients.
Occupations with related tasks Save Table: XLSX CSV
- Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
- Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
- Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
- Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps.
- Turn valve controls to start equipment and to adjust operation to maintain product quality.
- Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles.
- Homogenize or pasteurize material to prevent separation or to obtain prescribed butterfat content, using a homogenizing device.
- Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches.
- Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle.
- Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas.
- Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process.
- Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales.
- Determine mixing sequences, based on knowledge of temperature effects and of the solubility of specific ingredients.
- Observe and listen to equipment to detect possible malfunctions, such as leaks or plugging, and report malfunctions or undesirable tastes to supervisors.
- Observe gauges and thermometers to determine if the mixing chamber temperature is within specified limits, and turn valves to control the temperature.
- Modify cooking and forming operations based on the results of sampling processes, adjusting time cycles and ingredients to achieve desired qualities, such as firmness or texture.
- Examine, feel, and taste product samples during production to evaluate quality, color, texture, flavor, and bouquet, and document the results.
- Test food product samples for moisture content, acidity level, specific gravity, or butter-fat content, and continue processing until desired levels are reached.
- Inspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed.
- Fill processing or cooking containers, such as kettles, rotating cookers, pressure cookers, or vats, with ingredients, by opening valves, by starting pumps or injectors, or by hand.
- Manipulate products, by hand or using machines, to separate, spread, knead, spin, cast, cut, pull, or roll products.
- Place products on carts or conveyors to transfer them to the next stage of processing.
- Grade food products according to government regulations or according to type, color, bouquet, and moisture content.
- Formulate or modify recipes for specific kinds of food products.
- Inspect and pack the final product.
- Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes.
- Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients.
- Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color.
- Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps.
- Turn valve controls to start equipment and to adjust operation to maintain product quality.
- Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles.
- Homogenize or pasteurize material to prevent separation or to obtain prescribed butterfat content, using a homogenizing device.
- Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches.
- Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
- Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
- Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- 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.
- Record production and test data, such as processing steps, temperature and steam readings, cooking time, batches processed, and test results.
- Set temperature, pressure, and time controls, and start conveyers, machines, or pumps.
- Remove cooked material or products from equipment.
- Collect and examine product samples during production to test them for quality, color, content, consistency, viscosity, acidity, or specific gravity.
- Pour, dump, or load prescribed quantities of ingredients or products into cooking equipment, manually or using a hoist.
- Notify or signal other workers to operate equipment or when processing is complete.
- Turn valves or start pumps to add ingredients or drain products from equipment and to transfer products for storage, cooling, or further processing.
- 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.
- Operate auxiliary machines and equipment, such as grinders, canners, and molding presses, to prepare or further process products.
- Place products on conveyors or carts, and monitor product flow.
- Tend or operate and control equipment, such as kettles, cookers, vats and tanks, and boilers, to cook ingredients or prepare products for further processing.
- Listen for malfunction alarms, and shut down equipment and notify supervisors when necessary.
- Activate agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients, stopping machines when ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
- Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
- Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
- Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
- Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery.
- Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
- Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly.
- Check the quality of raw materials to ensure that standards and specifications are met.
- Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary.
- Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
- Apply glazes, icings, or other toppings to baked goods, using spatulas or brushes.
- Decorate baked goods, such as cakes or pastries.
- Roll, knead, cut, or shape dough to form sweet rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, or other products.
- Direct or coordinate bakery deliveries.
- Order or receive supplies or equipment.
- Prepare or maintain inventory or production records.
- Operate slicing or wrapping machines.
- Develop new recipes for baked goods.
- Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.
- Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials.
- Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines.
- Dump, pour, or load specified amounts of refined or unrefined materials into equipment or containers for further processing or storage.
- Operate machines to process materials in compliance with applicable safety, energy, or environmental regulations.
- Monitor material flow or instruments, such as temperature or pressure gauges, indicators, or meters, to ensure optimal processing conditions.
- Set up or adjust machine controls to regulate conditions such as material flow, temperature, or pressure.
- Examine samples to verify qualities such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, dryness, or texture.
- Inspect machines or equipment for hazards, operating efficiency, malfunctions, wear, or leaks.
- Collect samples of materials or products for laboratory analysis.
- Communicate processing instructions to other workers.
- Turn valves to pump sterilizing solutions or rinse water through pipes or equipment or to spray vats with atomizers.
- Maintain logs of instrument readings, test results, or shift production for entry in computer databases.
- Remove clogs, defects, or impurities from machines, tanks, conveyors, screens, or other processing equipment.
- Clean or sterilize tanks, screens, inflow pipes, production areas, or equipment, using hoses, brushes, scrapers, or chemical solutions.
- Measure or weigh materials to be refined, mixed, transferred, stored, or otherwise processed.
- Test samples to determine viscosity, acidity, specific gravity, or degree of concentration, using test equipment such as viscometers, pH meters, or hydrometers.
- Install, maintain, or repair hoses, pumps, filters, or screens to maintain processing equipment, using hand tools.
- Connect pipes between vats and processing equipment.
- Assemble fittings, valves, bowls, plates, disks, impeller shafts, or other parts to prepare equipment for operation.
- Remove full containers from discharge outlets and replace them with empty containers.
- Pack bottles into cartons or crates, using machines.
- Turn valves or move controls to admit, drain, separate, filter, clarify, mix, or transfer materials.
- Start agitators, shakers, conveyors, pumps, or centrifuge machines.
- Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
- Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
- Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
- Attach handles to pottery pieces.
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
- Design spaces to display pottery for sale.
- Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
- Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.
- Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
- Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
- Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.
- Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
- Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.
- Teach pottery classes.
- Operate jigger machines to form ceramic ware, such as bowls, cups, plates, and saucers.
- Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
- Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
- Start agitators to blend contents, or start beater, scraper, and expeller blades to mix contents with air and prevent sticking.
- Record temperatures, amounts of materials processed, or test results on report forms.
- Monitor pressure gauges, ammeters, flowmeters, thermometers, or products, and adjust controls to maintain specified conditions, such as feed rate, product consistency, temperature, air pressure, and machine speed.
- Read dials and gauges on panel control boards to ascertain temperatures, alkalinities, and densities of mixtures, and turn valves to obtain specified mixtures.
- Start machinery, such as pumps, feeders, or conveyors, and turn valves to heat, admit, or transfer products, refrigerants, or mixes.
- Correct machinery malfunctions by performing actions such as removing jams, and inform supervisors of malfunctions as necessary.
- Assemble equipment, and attach pipes, fittings, or valves, using hand tools.
- Measure or weigh specified amounts of ingredients or materials, and load them into tanks, vats, hoppers, or other equipment.
- Adjust machine or freezer speed and air intake to obtain desired consistency and amount of product.
- Weigh packages and adjust freezer air valves or switches on filler heads to obtain specified amounts of product in each container.
- Inspect and flush lines with solutions or steam, and spray equipment with sterilizing solutions.
- Load and position wrapping paper, sticks, bags, or cartons into dispensing machines.
- Sample and test product characteristics such as specific gravity, acidity, and sugar content, using hydrometers, pH meters, or refractometers.
- Place or position containers into equipment, and remove containers after completion of cooling or freezing processes.
- Scrape, dislodge, or break excess frost, ice, or frozen product from equipment to prevent accumulation, using hands and hand tools.
- Activate mechanical rakes to regulate flow of ice from storage bins to vats.
- Stir material with spoons or paddles to mix ingredients or allow even cooling and prevent coagulation.
- Position molds on conveyors, and measure and adjust level of fill, using depth gauges.
- Insert forming fixtures, and start machines that cut frozen products into measured portions or specified shapes.
- Start agitators to blend contents, or start beater, scraper, and expeller blades to mix contents with air and prevent sticking.
- Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
- Observe, feel, taste, or otherwise examine products during and after processing to ensure conformance to standards.
- Set temperature and time controls, light ovens, burners, driers, or roasters, and start equipment, such as conveyors, cylinders, blowers, driers, or pumps.
- Observe temperature, humidity, pressure gauges, and product samples and adjust controls, such as thermostats and valves, to maintain prescribed operating conditions for specific stages.
- Observe flow of materials and listen for machine malfunctions, such as jamming or spillage, and notify supervisors if corrective actions fail.
- Record production data, such as weight and amount of product processed, type of product, and time and temperature of processing.
- Weigh or measure products, using scale hoppers or scale conveyors.
- Signal coworkers to synchronize flow of materials.
- Read work orders to determine quantities and types of products to be baked, dried, or roasted.
- Fill or remove product from trays, carts, hoppers, or equipment, using scoops, peels, or shovels, or by hand.
- Take product samples during or after processing for laboratory analyses.
- Test products for moisture content, using moisture meters.
- Clear or dislodge blockages in bins, screens, or other equipment, using poles, brushes, or mallets.
- Start conveyors to move roasted grain to cooling pans and agitate grain with rakes as blowers force air through perforated bottoms of pans.
- Open valves, gates, or chutes or use shovels to load or remove products from ovens or other equipment.
- Clean equipment with steam, hot water, and hoses.
- Smooth out products in bins, pans, trays, or conveyors, using rakes or shovels.
- Install equipment, such as spray units, cutting blades, or screens, using hand tools.
- Push racks or carts to transfer products to storage, cooling stations, or the next stage of processing.
- Dump sugar dust from collectors into melting tanks and add water to reclaim sugar lost during processing.
- Operate or tend equipment that roasts, bakes, dries, or cures food items such as cocoa and coffee beans, grains, nuts, and bakery products.
