Apparatus and method for form-frying snack food product

• Main Authors: PATSY ANTHONY COPPOLA, MALCOLM E. TAYLOR, EDWARD L. DICKINSON, LAWRENCE GRAHAM, RICHARD F. TERRAZZANO, KENNETH R. BROCKER, EDWARD J. GOLDMAN, STEPHEN N. FORTI, PONNATTU KURIAN JOSEPH, ANDREW C. HARVEY, TODD CHARLES MCNEEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.04.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES; BAKERS' OVENS; BAKING; CHEWING GUM; COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; COFFEE MILLS; CONFECTIONERY; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; EDIBLE DOUGHS; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; FURNITURE; HUMAN NECESSITIES; ICE-CREAM; KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR BAKING; PREPARATION THEREOF; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY ASINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; SPICE MILLS; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES

Apparatus and method for cooking snack food pieces features a drum-type fryer which transports individual, die-cut piece preforms through hot oil contained within a cooking tank defined between the periphery of the drum and a housing in which the drum is contained. Vacuum transfer and feed rollers transfer the individual piece preforms from a die-cutting roller assembly onto the drum for cooking, and a similar roller transfers the cooked snack food pieces from the drum to a take-away conveyor for subsequent, downstream processing. The pieces are retained by suction against molding surfaces of frying mold elements distributed over the periphery of the frying drum.