Fry Cook Operator

What is a Fry Cook Operator?

Duties

Here are the primary duties of a fry cook operator position:

• Use various food preparation equipment to cook various products and ingredients per the specification of supervisor and assigned tasks.
• Closely track all control settings like pressure, temperature and time for pumps, machines and ovens, along with other equipment as applicable.
• Undertake cleaning and maintenance tasks once cooking is completed, e.g. sweeping or mopping the work area, wiping down counters, sterilizing cooking equipment, etc.
• Occasionally look at equipment controls to ensure that frying is at a consistent pace, specifically by monitoring dials, gauges and other characteristics.
• Keep an eye out for any malfunction triggers like a warning alarm or the shutdown of equipment in order to update the supervisor on the issue.

Day In The Life

On a regular day, a fry cook operator has his or her hands full with various tasks. You will be expected to lend a hand to the team by cleaning up food preparation surfaces, utensils and floors. As assigned by your supervisor, you will be busy with frying food in bulk, like fried chicken, hamburger patties, fish fingers, potato fries, etc. as per an order or to be kept warm until required.

It is vital that you are able to keep your cool in a high-pressure environment, as you will be working on multiple customer orders at the same time. While using deep fat fryers and other equipment, you must ensure that health and hygiene standards are maintained. Often, you will be asked to pre-cook certain foods to reduce the workload during your shift and prepare them for future use, such as frying bacon.

Work Schedule

Fry cook operators work full time and in shifts, which can be during the evening, morning, weekends or holidays. This type of role requires you to stand for long hours performing tasks like frying, chopping, cutting, peeling and storing. The environment is fast-paced and usually indoors in kitchen areas, unless you work for a catering service, food truck or food stand.

Growth Of The Job

In this industry, there is expected to be little to no change in the growth of job opportunities, approximately 2 percent between 2014 to 2024. The main reason for new job openings is due to the high rate of turnover, with employees frequently leaving the occupation. More jobs will be available with larger establishments like food chains and food processing facilities.

Fry cook operators who pursue continuous learning through mastering new cooking techniques and handling more responsibility (e.g. substituting for the chef as supervisor or taking on another colleague’s workload) are likely to move forward as head cooks, food service managers and chefs in the future. You could also explore related positions such as manufacturing supervisor, food dehydrator operator, food science technician and more.

With an increasing number of people eating out versus cooking at home, there is greater demand for roles like fry cook operators, to accommodate the rise in restaurants, food delivery services, cafes and catering services. Thus, more jobs are predicted in future.

Typical Employers

Fry cook operators are required in hospitals, universities, colleges, schools, hotels and even corporate establishments with in-house cafeterias, to prepare and serve food. They may often cook some part of a dish and collaborate with other cooks on the team to complete a meal in a timely fashion. Rarely, fry cook operators may also work for private clients with a well-staffed kitchen.