Abstract: Means for supporting and driving agitators in commercial food mixers and the like as disclosed herein include structure for mounting and supporting the agitator(s) separately from the structure which rotatably supports the mixing bowl. The mixing bowl has a pair of spaced ends and is rotatably supported by trunnions fixed to such spaced ends and extending outwardly therefrom toward adjacent support frame members which have journals for rotatably cooperating with such trunnions to thereby support the mixing bowl. The agitator for the mixer is journaled in the spaced ends of the mixing bowl, such that the weight of the mixing bowl and the mix therein is not imparted to the agitator shaft. Preferably, th agitator is rotatably driven by drive-transmission means including drive gears disposed outside the mixing bowl and outboard of the support frame members but generally in alignment with the agitator shaft, and flexible drive means (e.g.

Abstract: A depositing apparatus for the manufacture of shaped food product includes a hopper having an open top for receiving a prepared mix. Feed rollers positioned within the lower end of the hopper force mix through an extrusion die assembly. The die assembly includes an elongated plate defining a plurality of apertures and supporting a plurality of dies in coaxial relationship with the apertures. A variable restrictor is supported at each of the apertures for varying the effective open area or flow area of the apertures. The flow area may be varied to compensate for variations in weight, consistency or volume of the mix so that relatively uniform weight shapes are deposited onto a conveyor passing underneath the feed hopper. The variable restrictor includes a pair of opposed plates having edges configured in a complementary fashion to the cross-sectional shape of the die. A drive is operably connected to each of the plates so that they may be moved towards and away from each other into the aperture.