Abstract: Pork trimmings are continuously agitated in a vacuum while they are being subdivided into a mass of chunks into which saturated steam is thereupon admitted to cook them. While continuing the agitation, the cooking action is terminated when the temperature of the mass reaches about 125.degree.C, and thereupon the mass is cooled to about 60.degree.-95.degree.C and is comminuted and emulsified under continuing agitation. Liver pieces and binder material are then added to the agitated mass and comminution continues to comminute the liver pieces while cooling the resulting mixture to about 40.degree.-80.degree.C and admitting liquid spices into it to obtain a spiced product.

Abstract: A potato dough is prepared so that it is 23 to 40% solids including cooked intact potato cells, binder and raw starch, the remainder of the dough being moisture. The dough is divided into slabs and cut into strips of normal French fry potato size. The strips are then parfried in deep fat to a moisture content in the range of 40-65% to gelatinize the starch and form a matrix surrounding the intact potato cells throughout the piece, which matrix gels upon cooling, is not thereafter disturbed and makes the product freeze-thaw stable. The product is then frozen and stored. Without loss of piece integrity the product can be finish fried directly, or even after prolonged thawing, by deep fat frying or oven heating to form a crisp French fry.

Abstract: A dehydrated potato product is produced in a singlepass, non-addback process by preparing and cooking potatoes, mixing the cooked potatoes with a starch complexing emulsifier in the range of 0.3 to 2.0% by weight of solids to coat the surface of the potato cells, and mixing the resulting mash while directly subjecting the mash to a high velocity heated air stream to dry the mash to a point at which partially dried particles are airlifted and removed from the mixer-dryer. The partially dried cells are then dried to completion by conventional means. The starch complexing emulsifier reduces the adhesive characteristics of the mash, allowing separation of intact cells without damage after reducing the mash moisture to the range of about 30 to 50%. The dehydrated cooked potato product consists of intact potato cells in granular form substantially passing through a standard 60 mesh screen with high cold water absorption characteristics and rehydratable in hot water into mealy mashed potatoes.

Abstract: Pitted olives are stuffed with an edible food that has been dried to facilitate its handling, and the dried food is reconstituted within the pitted olives by packing the stuffed olives in an aqueous solution. Drying an edible food, such as pimiento, is carried out to cause an increase in stiffness and a drying of the surface texture to permit gripping of the food without slipping. Also, a reduction in size will accompany the drying of the food particularly if air drying is used. With this reduced size condition of the food, greater clearance can be allowed between the walls of the olive pit cavity and the sides of the food to be inserted since the food will swell to a tight fit within the pit cavity upon subsequent reconstitution. The stiffness of the dried food will be greater than that of the olive adjacent the walls of the pit cavity so that the walls of the pit cavity will deflect outwardly to receive the dried food if the dried food is somewhat oversized or slightly out of alignment.

Abstract: A method of peeling root vegetables by dipping the vegetables into hot aqueous sodium hydroxide, and drying them at 100.degree.-150.degree.C for 2-5 minutes by intense application of a drying gas, such as hot air or superheated steam, whereupon the root vegetables are allowed to rest for 3-10 minutes at ambient temperature.

Abstract: Avocado flesh, water, and vegetable gums are thoroughly and intimately admixed to produce a fine dispersion which is stable when stored for long periods of time either by itself or in admixture with mayonnaise or other foodstuffs. The fine dispersion is produced by passing the avocado flesh, water, and vegetable gums through a colloid mill, an emulsifier, or an homogenizer.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for producing a stable hydrophilic food product such as a fruit piece. The process comprises preparing a liquid shortening by heating the shortening to a temperature above the melting point thereof, heating fruit pieces above the temperature of the melting point of the shortening, admixing the fruit pieces and shortening until the shortening completely coats the fruit pieces, and cooling the coated fruit pieces.

Abstract: This invention relates to certain novel starch compositions. More particularly, it is concerned with certain useful salts of various half-acid organic esters which have been found to be of value in industry when used in conjunction with starch. The invention includes the use of these salts as well as the compositions containing them within its scope.

Abstract: Apple sauce is produced in a continuous process stream without hand trimming by dicing the untrimmed, sometimes uncored fruit, electronically sorting the dices to reject blemished dices, and cooking and conventionally finishing the accepted blemish free dices. The reject dices are reduced to blemished and unblemished tissue by being either (1) rediced into smaller pieces and resorted, (2) sliced to further subdivide them while in an auxiliary processing path and returned to the process stream for resorting, (3) sliced to further subdivide them and resorted while in an auxiliary processing path whereafter surviving unblemished tissue is returned to the process stream, or (4) blemished dices from the original sorting or from the resorting of step 3 are routed to a separate cooker and fine screen finisher to produce a nearly blemish free fine sauce which in turn is blended with the conventionally finished sauce produced from the accepted dices. The fruit may be lye peeled prior to dicing.

Abstract: Potatoes are converted into convenience food products, using techniques which provide advantages over customary operations. Example: Potatoes are cooked and mashed. The mash is shaped into strips which are then treated with hot air to case-harden their surfaces. The resulting intermediates may be fried directly or held in frozen or cold storage for future use. On frying, they yield products which have the taste, appearance, color, and texture of high-quality conventional French fries plus added advantages of higher solids content, lower fat content, and no tendency to get limp.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a chip-type snack is disclosed. A dough is prepared and sheeted. An elongated shaped ribbon is cut from the dough sheet. The ribbon is passed through a deep fat fryer and then separated into individual chips by fracturing the ribbon.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a chip-type snack is disclosed. A dough is prepared and sheeted. An elongated shaped ribbon of connected dough pieces is cut from the dough sheet. The ribbon is passed through a deep fat fryer and then severed into individual chips.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an apparatus for brewing a beverage such as coffee or tea. A disposable disc-shaped receptacle contains a predetermined quantity of solid beverage material. The flat lower surface of the receptacle contains a plurality of perforations permitting a flow of hot water into the receptacle for brewing the beverage material. The upper portion of the receptacle is a concave flexible membrane. An actuating rod or stick is attached to the membrane for manually flexing the membrane up and down during brewing. The user places the receptacle into a cup of hot water and using the stick, manually flexes the membrane up and down inducing successive positive and negative pressure variations inside the receptacle. These pressure variations suck and expel hot water through the perforations and thoroughly circulate the water inside the receptacle and throughout the beverage material for brewing.

Abstract: Products having at least an outer layer of a hot semi-liquid material which crystallizes and hardens upon cooling are placed on a conveyor and transported through a cooling tunnel. Within the cooling tunnel, the product is initially subjected to a high voltage field producing a corona current to accelerate initial cooling. The product is moved out of the field while the surface is still semi-liquid and subjected only to the cool air environment of the tunnel while the surface crystallizes and hardens. The product is then moved into a second high voltage field producing a corona current to remove heat from the inner regions of the material to inhibit remelting of the surface after the product exits the cooling tunnel.

Abstract: The invention enables the production of fried potato products of greatly improved texture, flavor, and color from raw stock that exhibits excessive browning tendencies and which would normally yield fried products of excessively dark color. Typically, pieces of raw potato are pre-fried in edible oil for a short period, then leached with water. The leached pieces may be further processed in various ways, e.g., finish-fried, or par-fried and then refrigerated for distribution to the consumer or food service operator.