Traditional Chinese dishes, recognized as a complex culinary system, relies fundamentally on the expertise and experience of chefs, with production traditionally executed manually. However, with the swift advancement in diverse scientific disciplines, the integration of robotics with culinary science has become progressively common. Consequently, employing cooking robots for intricate culinary tasks has become a trend, pushing the processing and production of Chinese dishes towards increased automation and standardization. This paper discusses the concept and characteristics of cooking robots, analyzes their development both in China and globally, and provides a concise overview of the functional structure of current cooking robot mechanisms. These include pot movement, mixing mechanisms, automatic feeding mechanisms, fire control devices, and trajectory planning-teaching systems. Furthermore, it outlines prospective development goals and research directions for cooking robots in China.