General Mills, Inc.

Zachary Harder

Shivakumar Elayedath

Robert G Clements

Amy R Fleury

Ralph A Stenvik

Thomas E Heinzen

Todd A Rasmussen

Bruce D Larson

Roberta M Langenfeld

Michele K Wolf

Shannyn Stuart

Lisa Swanson

Karla M Fuentes

A waffle sandwich maker includes first and second waffle plates which contact a food product during preparation of the food product. The first waffle plate includes a plurality of protrusions defining a plurality of channels, a female connector having a hole, a male connector having a protrusion and a first spacer extending inward relative to the plurality of protrusions. The pluralities of protrusions and channels create depressions and ridges in the food product. The protrusion of the male connector and the hole of the female connector of the first waffle plate mate with a hole of a female connector and a protrusion of a male connector of the second waffle plate. The first spacer contacts the second waffle plate during preparation of the food product, which includes an outer dough encapsulating a filling, to maintain the first waffle plate spaced at least approximately 0.5 inches from the second waffle plate.

Waffle sandwich maker and method of preparing a food product with the waffle sandwich maker

A product conveying and coating system includes at least first and second, sequentially arranged conveyor belts, with at least the second conveyor belt being a solid belt. Interposed in a gap between the first and second belts is a dispenser head of a coating manifold. The dispenser head spans the gap between upper surface portions of the first and second conveyor belts, with an elongated side wall outlet portion of the dispenser head being exposed, in a downstream direction of the overall conveyor unit, to the upper surface of the second conveyor belt. The system provides for dispensing of coating material directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt and enrobing at least bottom and partial side portions of food products upon the solid belt. Provisions are made for scraping from the solid belt, removing from the coated food products and recycling excess coating material.

System and method for bottom coating food products

Waffle plate

Shaped tortilla

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Crystal, MN, United States of America

Zachary Harder