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WO1993007793A1 - Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques - Google Patents

Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1993007793A1
WO1993007793A1 PCT/US1991/007739 US9107739W WO9307793A1 WO 1993007793 A1 WO1993007793 A1 WO 1993007793A1 US 9107739 W US9107739 W US 9107739W WO 9307793 A1 WO9307793 A1 WO 9307793A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
air
cooking
assembly
duct assembly
basket
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1991/007739
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Wayne L. Covington
Glen R. Green
Original Assignee
Ore-Ida Foods, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ore-Ida Foods, Inc. filed Critical Ore-Ida Foods, Inc.
Priority to PCT/US1991/007739 priority Critical patent/WO1993007793A1/fr
Publication of WO1993007793A1 publication Critical patent/WO1993007793A1/fr
Priority to NO932186A priority patent/NO306843B1/no

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/0064—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for processing of food articles
    • G07F17/0078—Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts
    • G07F17/0085—Food articles which for processing need cooking in a liquid, e.g. oil, water
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
    • A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
    • A47J37/04—Roasting apparatus with movably-mounted food supports or with movable heating implements; Spits
    • A47J37/047—Roasting apparatus with movably-mounted food supports or with movable heating implements; Spits with rotating drums or baskets
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
    • A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
    • A47J37/12—Deep fat fryers, e.g. for frying fish or chips
    • A47J37/1228—Automatic machines for frying and dispensing metered amounts of food
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/0064—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for processing of food articles
    • G07F17/0078—Food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts

Definitions

  • the present invention generally relates to cooking systems for use in vending machines that vend cooked foods such as french fried potatoes and the like.
  • vending machines provide a heated cooking medium such as hot oil or hot air, and may include an energy source such as infrared or microwave energy.
  • an energy source such as infrared or microwave energy.
  • a. Extended cooking time (e.g., 35 seconds or more) ; b. Oiliness of the final food product; c. Non-uniformity of cooking throughout a serving; d. Non-uniformity of color of the cooked food item (e.g., burnt ends and the like on french fried potatoes) ; e. Inconsistency of texture of the cooked food item (e.g., french fried potatoes that lack a crisp but tender surface and that have oily or mushy interiors) ; f. Substantial residue of oil in delivered servings; or g. Strong exhaust or burnt odors during normal operation.
  • the present invention provides a closed-loop air cooking system for use in a vending machine that vends french fried potatoes and the like.
  • the closed-loop air cooking system includes the following major components: a) a closed-loop air duct assembly; b) a cooking basket means mounted for rotation within the air duct assembly; c) fan means for forcing air through the air duct assembly; d) separator means mounted for removing entrained particulates from the air stream that circulates within the air duct assembly; and e) heating means for heating air that circulates within the air duct assembly.
  • the cooking system includes a separator means for removing oil and other particulates from the closed-loop air stream. In operation, the separator prevents particulates from reaching the heating system, thereby minimizing cooking odors.
  • the basket assembly In operation of the closed-loop air cooking system, the basket assembly is filled with a serving portion of french fried potatoes or the like, and rotated in the heated air stream for a predetermined period at a generally constant rotational speed (e.g. , twenty revolutions per minute) to uniformly expose the serving portion to the heated air stream.
  • the air velocity impinging upon the serving portion during the cooking cycle is controlled at about 2200 ft/min with a volumetric flow rate of about 378 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at about 455 to 465 degrees Fahrenheit to promote rapid cooking without smoking.
  • cfm cubic feet per minute
  • french fried potatoes cook to have delicate and crisp outer layers with moist and hot interiors.
  • the air velocity of about 2200 ft/min is sufficient to entrain loose oil from the fried potatoes, leaving them essentially dry to the touch.
  • Figure 1 is a side view of a cooking system according to the present invention, with the insulation and other components partially cut away for clarity;
  • Figure 2 is an end view of the cooking system of Figure l, again with the insulation and other components partially cut away for clarity;
  • Figure 3 is a top view, partially cut away, of the cooking system taken along the section line 3-3 in Figure 1;
  • Figure 4 is a side elevation, partially cut away, showing the retracted position of a basket assembly for use in the system of Figure 1;
  • Figure 5 is a side elevation, partially cut away, showing the basket assembly of Figure 4 in an extended position;
  • Figure 6 is an exploded pictorial view of the basket assembly of Figure 2;
  • Figure 7 is a pictorial view of a mechanism for reciprocatively driving and rotating the cooking basket assembly of Figure 6;
  • FIGS 8 and 9 are details of the basket assembly, taken along the section lines 8-8 and 9-9, respectively, in Figure 6.
  • the major components of the closed-loop air cooking system in Figure 1 include a closed-loop air duct assembly 11, a rotary basket assembly 13 mounted for rotation within the air duct assembly, a fan 15 for forcing air through the air duct assembly, a centrifugal separator 17 mounted for removing entrained particulates from the air stream that circulates within the air duct assembly, and heating system 19 for heating the air stream that circulates within the air duct assembly.
  • the above- listed components are surrounded by a layer 21 of insulation material and are enclosed in a housing 23.
  • the closed-loop air cooking system is primarily intended for use in a vending machine which is connected to a storage freezer.
  • an automatic weighing system is connected to meter serving portions as they are removed from the storage freezer for cooking.
  • the vending machine would include trays, chutes, drives, and other conventional components which are necessary for operation.
  • centrifugal separator 17 is embodied as a cyclone separator.
  • the separator includes an inlet scroll member 27, containing turning vanes 28, a generally cylindrical body 29 which is connected for receiving the air stream from scroll member 27, a frustro-conical member 31 mounted in communication with the lower part of cylindrical body 29 for receiving the heavier fraction of materials that were entrained in the air stream.
  • the cyclone separator also includes an inner cylindrical outlet member 33 which is mounted in communication with the interior of cylindrical body 29 for discharging the main flow of cleaned air from the cyclone separator.
  • the cyclone separator can be recognized as being of generally conventional design.
  • centrifugal separator 17 of Figure 1 In operation of centrifugal separator 17 of Figure 1, scroll member 27 receives air flow from the duct member 11 and carries the flowing air into cylindrical body 29, where the air circulates in a swirling pattern so that entrained particulates impinge upon the interior peripheral wall of body 29. The impinging particles then fall downward into frustro- conical member 31 for subsequent removal from the separator via a secondary discharge spout 35 at the bottom of the frustro-conical member. The main air flow, with the particulates removed, leaves the top of the separator via cylindrical outlet member 33. Accordingly, centrifugal separator 17 prevents contaminants, such as oil or carbonized particulates such as broken pieces of potato, from being entrained by the air stream and carried back through the heating elements where overheating and smoking could occur. It should be noted that the main air stream, upon leaving the cyclone separator, is still enclosed by housing 23.
  • fan 15 includes a shroud 37 and a set of rotary fan blades 38. These components are mounted within housing 23 to draw the cleaned air flow leaving centrifugal separator 17 via outlet member 33. The fan blades 38 drive the cleaned air into the closed-loop air duct assembly 11. Once in the duct assembly, the air passes through the rotary basket assembly 13 and returns to centrifugal separator 17.
  • the heating system 19 comprises electrical heating elements 41 which are mounted near the inlet to fan 15. As so positioned, heated air is uniformly mixed into the circulating air stream. Also, heat from the heating elements is radiantly absorbed by the walls of centrifugal separator 17, thereby providing radiant heating of the air mass circulating through the closed- loop system.
  • the body of the centrifugal separator serves as a heat sink and provides a source of instantaneous thermal energy.
  • the heating system 19 is sufficiently energetic to allow the temperature of the circulating air to be elevated to approximately 800° Fahrenheit for a prolonged time period (e.g., one hour) so that the closed-loop system can clean itself.
  • housing 23 is insulated to minimize heat loss to the cabinet enclosure.
  • the insulating layer 21 is a 1.5 inch (approximately) thick layer of "insul-thin" material. As so insulated, heat flow from the closed- loop system is approximately one-half BTU per minute per square foot. It should be understood that the insulation layer has openings for the cooking basket assembly to move through, and an opening for the waste material to be discharged.
  • the cooking basket assembly 13 is mounted to travel into and out of the air duct assembly 11.
  • the basket assembly 13 is comprised of a lower basket portion 45 and a basket cover assembly 47.
  • lower basket 45 is movable in and out of duct assembly 11, while the cover assembly 47 is mounted to be retained within the duct assembly.
  • the complete basket assembly 13 has an overall cylindrical shape and its side wall is constructed from an open mesh material. The diameter and length of the basket assembly depends upon the size of the serving portions to be cooked. In practice, the basket assembly is designed so that the pressure drop of air flowing through it does not exceed about 1.25 inches of H 2 0.
  • a cylindrical duct section 49 is provided for receiving the basket assembly 13.
  • One end 50 of cylindrical duct section 49 is open for receiving the basket assembly and the other end 52 is closed.
  • openings 53 and 54 are formed through duct section 49 generally opposite one another so that the duct section can be interposed in the main duct assembly 11 to extend transverse to the general direction of air flow from the main duct assembly.
  • the basket assembly 13 includes a circular end member 57 and an annular seal member 58.
  • the function of annular seal member 58 which is mounted to surround the end member, is to seal against the open end of cylindrical duct section 49.
  • annular seal member 58 provides thermal insulation and minimizes air loss from the cooking system during normal operation.
  • the annular seal member is a siiicone rubber gasket.
  • reciprocating mechanism 61 is mounted for moving the cooking basket assembly 13 into and out of the duct section 49.
  • reciprocating mechanism 61 includes two helix screws 62 which are connected at their one ends to the cooking basket assembly and which are arranged to be synchronously rotated for driving the cooking basket assembly into and out of cylindrical duct section 49.
  • reciprocating mechanism 61 preferably includes an electric motor 63 which is mounted for synchronously driving the helix screws. Synchronous rotation is normally required to maintain alignment of the basket assembly.
  • a rotary drive mechanism 66 is mounted to rotate the basket assembly 13.
  • the rotary drive mechanism includes an electric motor 63 which is connected, via a pulley drive system 68, to a shaft 69 which is connected to the basket assembly in the direction of its axial centerline.
  • rotation of the basket assembly occurs during cooking, and that partial rotation occurs during loading and unloading when serving portions are loaded into, or discharged from, the basket assembly.
  • lower basket 45 is moved, by reciprocating mechanism 61, into the end of the cylindrical duct section 49 in an orientation to mate with the basket cover assembly 47 (See Figures 6-9) .
  • the cover assembly slides onto the lower section in the axial direction until the basket assembly is completely covered. At that time, the basket assembly can be fully rotated without discharging food.
  • the basket assembly 13 when filled with a pre-measured serving portion, is rotated in the heated air stream for a predetermined period and at a generally constant speed (e.g., twenty revolutions per minute) to uniformly expose the food to the impinging air stream.
  • the air velocity impinging upon the food during the cooking cycle is controlled at about 2200 ft/min with a volumetric flow rate of about 378 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at about 455 to 465 degrees Fahrenheit to promote rapid cooking without smoking.
  • cfm cubic feet per minute
  • the air velocity of about 2200 ft/min french fried potatoes cook to have delicate and crisp outer layers with moist and hot interiors.
  • the air velocity of about 2200 ft/min is sufficient to entrain loose oil from the fried potatoes during cooking, leaving the cooked product essentially dry to the touch.
  • reciprocating mechanism 61 is actuated to withdraw the lower basket from the duct section.
  • the basket cover assembly remains within the duct section. More particularly, the cover assembly remains attached and generally in alignment with the lower basket section.
  • the basket can be partially rotated for discharging the serving into a dispensing cup for delivery to customers. Then, the basket is returned to its normal position for loading another serving portion of pre-frozen potatoes.
  • potatoes for french frying can be loaded, cooked, and unloaded in a period as short as approximately thirty- five seconds.
  • the above-described closed-loop air cooking system obviates the need for a hot oil reservoir and its attendant difficulties.
  • the cooking system delivers french fried potatoes that have tender but crisp exteriors, uniformly hot interiors that taste like famous Idaho baked potatoes.
  • the french fried potatoes have a uniform and pleasing color, and no external oiliness.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Frying-Pans Or Fryers (AREA)

Abstract

Système de cuisson par air en circuit fermé destiné à être utilisé dans un distributeur automatique qui vend des pommes de terre frites et autres. Ledit système comprend (a) un ensemble (11) de conduit en circuit fermé pour l'air; (b) un panier de cuisson (13) monté de manière à tourner dans l'ensemble de conduit pour l'air; (c) une soufflerie (15) destinée à envoyer et pousser l'air dans l'ensemble de conduit pour l'air; (d) un séparateur (17) servant à éliminer les particules entraînées qui se trouvent dans l'écoulement d'air existant dans l'ensemble de conduit pour l'air; et (e) un dispositif de chauffage (19) servant à chauffer l'air qui circule dans l'ensemble de conduit pour l'air. En outre, le système de cuisson comprend un séparateur qui élimine l'huile et les autres particules de l'écoulement d'air en circuit fermé.
PCT/US1991/007739 1991-10-17 1991-10-17 Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques WO1993007793A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US1991/007739 WO1993007793A1 (fr) 1991-10-17 1991-10-17 Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques
NO932186A NO306843B1 (no) 1991-10-17 1993-06-14 Luftbake-system med lukket krets

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/US1991/007739 WO1993007793A1 (fr) 1991-10-17 1991-10-17 Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1993007793A1 true WO1993007793A1 (fr) 1993-04-29

Family

ID=22225888

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1991/007739 WO1993007793A1 (fr) 1991-10-17 1991-10-17 Systeme automatique de cuisson par air destine a des distributeurs automatiques

Country Status (2)

Country Link
NO (1) NO306843B1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1993007793A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0636334A1 (fr) * 1993-07-30 1995-02-01 ETABLISSEMENTS R. KOHL, Société Anonyme Appareil distributeur de frites a pre-paiement
WO2010002288A3 (fr) * 2008-07-02 2010-04-08 Shamaev Alexey Nikolaevich Réfrigérateur pour salles de vente

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4155294A (en) * 1977-10-25 1979-05-22 Rotofry Systems, Inc. Cooking apparatus for foodstuffs
US4203358A (en) * 1975-09-18 1980-05-20 Hans Vogt Device for cooking foodstuffs
US4295419A (en) * 1980-05-12 1981-10-20 Larry Poulson Confined air food heating apparatus
US4439459A (en) * 1982-03-08 1984-03-27 Swartley John S Convection food heating
US4491065A (en) * 1982-05-06 1985-01-01 Larry Poulson Food heating apparatus
US4892083A (en) * 1986-04-18 1990-01-09 Koenig Helmut Baking oven

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4203358A (en) * 1975-09-18 1980-05-20 Hans Vogt Device for cooking foodstuffs
US4155294A (en) * 1977-10-25 1979-05-22 Rotofry Systems, Inc. Cooking apparatus for foodstuffs
US4295419A (en) * 1980-05-12 1981-10-20 Larry Poulson Confined air food heating apparatus
US4439459A (en) * 1982-03-08 1984-03-27 Swartley John S Convection food heating
US4491065A (en) * 1982-05-06 1985-01-01 Larry Poulson Food heating apparatus
US4892083A (en) * 1986-04-18 1990-01-09 Koenig Helmut Baking oven

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0636334A1 (fr) * 1993-07-30 1995-02-01 ETABLISSEMENTS R. KOHL, Société Anonyme Appareil distributeur de frites a pre-paiement
FR2708771A1 (fr) * 1993-07-30 1995-02-10 Kohl Ets R Appareil distributeur de frites à pré-paiement.
WO2010002288A3 (fr) * 2008-07-02 2010-04-08 Shamaev Alexey Nikolaevich Réfrigérateur pour salles de vente

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NO932186L (no) 1993-06-14
NO932186D0 (no) 1993-06-14
NO306843B1 (no) 2000-01-03

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