How To Become A Cooker Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cooker operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cooker operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.2 an hour? That's $37,847 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 9,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCooker OperatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,847

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.3

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.32%

Asian 11.75%

Black or African American 8.93%

Hispanic or Latino 19.49%

Unknown 3.85%

White 53.66%

Gender

female 21.52%

male 78.48%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.4

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cooker operator

Explore cooker operator education requirements

Most common cooker operator degrees

High School Diploma

45.6 %

Associate

24.0 %

Bachelor's

17.6 %

Start to develop specific cooker operator skills

Skills	Percentages
GMP	17.30%
Food Quality	14.86%
CIP	11.60%
Processing Equipment	9.63%
PPE	7.89%

Complete relevant cooker operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cooker operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cooker operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cooker operator resumes.

Research cooker operator duties and responsibilities

Oversee and maintain boilers and dryers.
Operate slicers, grills, deep fry cookers, stoves.
Follow and adhere to good manufacturing practices (GMP's).
Ensure kitchen are staffed and run efficiently in support of restaurant and banquet operations.

Prepare your cooker operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cooker operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cooker operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Cooker Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Cooker Operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Cooker Operator resume.

Apply for cooker operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cooker operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cooker operators rate their job?