Heat and Control, Inc.

Leonardo P Murgel

Andrew A Caridis

Clark K Benson

Daniel E Brown

James A Padilla

John Silvester

Donald B Giles

Thomas F Leary

Carl Beitsayadeh

Anthony A Caridis

Anthony Wade Morris

A process for cooking food products, such as battered and breaded pieces of meat, with hot oil by placing the products on a conveyor and passing them through a plurality of descending hot oil curtains to enrobe and cook the products. The cooking oil is supplied from above through oil inlet weirs in a smooth curtain with the flow volume and temperature being controlled. The cooking oil is returned for reheating and the products are removed from the conveyor in a cooked condition.

Cooking by enrobing through controlled curtain spillage

Simultaneous slicing and washing of relatively firm raw vegetable or fruit products is accomplished in a vat of water into which a slicer apparatus is positioned such that the slices are formed and discharge directly into the water. An inclined takeout conveyor serves to receive the slices and remove them from the water. A circulating water current and fluid jets urge the slices to disperse onto the conveyor. A spray of water or air blast removes residual vegetable matter from the slice surfaces before leaving the takeout conveyor for further processing. Slicing and washing a vegetable in a flume volute where the slices are dispersed onto a takeout conveyor is disclosed where the water medium is collected in a tub and recycled back to flow in the flume to a level that covers the slicer's operative parts. The apparatus may be used for simultaneous slicing and cooking of raw vegetables where hot cooking oil is maintained in the system and recycled for reheating.

Simultaneous slicing and washing of vegetables

A fryer for food products such as battered and breaded pieces of meat has a main conveyor with forward and return belt paths inside the fryer pan, the belt return dragging the pan bottom sweeping fines to one end for removal. A submerger conveyor prevents products from floating in the cooking oil which enters the fryer from above through oil inlet weirs. A plurality of weirs supply curtains of hot cooking oil in non-turbulent flow onto the food product covering the product as the product is conveyed on the main conveyor. The cooking oil is returned along defined lanes in the pan for reheating outside of the fryer. The food products are removed from the fryer in a cooked condition with the bread coatings intact.

Breaded products fryer

An oven for continuous cooking of products carried upon a open mesh wire conveyor provides the impingement of a cooking vapor from air discharge structure having ports arrayed above and below the conveyor. The discharge ports extend laterally of the conveyor and communicate with upper and lower plenums each charged by blower fans which draw cooking vapor from low pressure corridors alongside the product conveyor. Gas, electric or thermo fluid heaters are disposed in the corridors. The discharge ports are in slot form disposed about the apex of a Vee shaped riser spaced from the adjacent riser to provide a low pressure flow channel communicating with the corridors giving a rapid velocity change of the cooking vapor from turbulent to a less turbulent flow. The distance for vapor travel between the upper discharge ports and the product carrying conveyor is variable. Temperature and moisture content of the process vapor can be changed to suit cooking conditions.

Air impingement oven

A process and apparatus for preparing a snack food product by baking and without the use of cooking oil, begins with preparation of potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc, into slices, which are surface de-watered before exposure to a high intensity heat source including infra red or open flame at about 1400 F. to blanch the slices and halt enzyme action before exposing the slices to hot, dry air impingement until the slices are reduced in moisture to about 10 to 35%, while the slices are maintained in a mono layer. Then the slices are aggregated into a pack and dried in hot dry air until the moisture content of the slices has been reduced to about 0.5 to 2%. The apparatus includes an insulated housing with a product conveyor belt extending therethrough. A combination of overhead infra-red burners and underneath open flame burners are positioned to create a high energy heat zone along one length of the belt. Air impingement scatter slots are positioned above and below a subsequent length of the belt, and a superimposed hold down belt restrains the products from scattering. A dryer zone with moving hot dry air is provided to reduce the product moisture to a desired final end point.

Apparatus for preparing a baked, non-oil containing snack food product

The apparatus for preparing a snack food product without the use of cooking oil includes an insulated housing with a product conveyor extending therethrough. A combination of overhead infra-infra red source and underneath open flame burners are positioned to create a high energy heat zone along one length of the belt. Air impingement scatter jets are positioned above and below a subsequent length of the belt and a superimposed hold down belt restrains the products from scattering. A dryer zone with fast moving hot dry air is provided to reduce the product moisture to a desired final end point.

Baked, non-oil containing snack product food

Process and apparatus for preparing a snack food product by baking and without the use of cooking oil, begins with preparation of potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc, into slices which are surface de-watered before exposure to a high intensity heat source including infra red at about 1400 F. to blanch the product and halt enzyme action before exposure to hot, dry air impingement until reduced in moisture to about 10 to 35%, while maintained in a mono layer. Then the slices are aggregated into a pack and dried in hot dry air until the moisture content has been reduced to about 0.5 to 2%. The apparatus includes an insulated housing with a product conveyor extending therethrough. A combination of overhead infra-red burners and underneath open flame burners are positioned to create a high energy heat zone along one length of the belt. Air impingement scatter slots are positioned above and below a subsequent length of the belt and a superimposed hold down belt restrains the products from scattering. A dryer zone with moving hot dry air is provided to reduce the product moisture to a desired final end point.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Leonardo P Murgel