According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Record production and test data for each food product batch, such as the ingredients used, temperature, test results, and time cycle. | 95% |
| Clean and sterilize vats and factory processing areas. | 94% |
| Test food product samples for moisture content, acidity level, specific gravity, or butter-fat content, and continue processing until desired levels are reached. | 93% |
| Set up, operate, and tend equipment that cooks, mixes, blends, or processes ingredients in the manufacturing of food products, according to formulas or recipes. | 93% |
| Mix or blend ingredients, according to recipes, using a paddle or an agitator, or by controlling vats that heat and mix ingredients. | 92% |
| Inspect vats after cleaning to ensure that fermentable residue has been removed. | 92% |
| Follow recipes to produce food products of specified flavor, texture, clarity, bouquet, or color. | 91% |
| Give directions to other workers who are assisting in the batchmaking process. | 91% |
| Select and measure or weigh ingredients, using English or metric measures and balance scales. | 91% |
| Press switches and turn knobs to start, adjust, and regulate equipment, such as beaters, extruders, discharge pipes, and salt pumps. | 90% |
| 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. | 90% |
| Determine mixing sequences, based on knowledge of temperature effects and of the solubility of specific ingredients. | 90% |
| Observe and listen to equipment to detect possible malfunctions, such as leaks or plugging, and report malfunctions or undesirable tastes to supervisors. | 90% |
| Manipulate products, by hand or using machines, to separate, spread, knead, spin, cast, cut, pull, or roll products. | 89% |
| Observe gauges and thermometers to determine if the mixing chamber temperature is within specified limits, and turn valves to control the temperature. | 89% |
| Cool food product batches on slabs or in water-cooled kettles. | 89% |
| Turn valve controls to start equipment and to adjust operation to maintain product quality. | 88% |
| 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. | 87% |
| Place products on carts or conveyors to transfer them to the next stage of processing. | 86% |
| Homogenize or pasteurize material to prevent separation or to obtain prescribed butterfat content, using a homogenizing device. | 86% |
| Grade food products according to government regulations or according to type, color, bouquet, and moisture content. | 86% |
| Operate refining machines to reduce the particle size of cooked batches. | 85% |
| Examine, feel, and taste product samples during production to evaluate quality, color, texture, flavor, and bouquet, and document the results. | 85% |
| Formulate or modify recipes for specific kinds of food products. | 85% |
| Inspect and pack the final product. | 83% |
