Abstract: In accordance with the invention, a device and method for steaming and toasting food items is provided. The device is particularly suited for steaming and toasting hamburger sandwich bun heels and crowns. The device in accordance with the invention may include a steam outlet for steaming food items by impinging steam onto the food item. A conveyor moves the food item along a toasting pathway in which the food item is toasted by a heated platen extending along at least a portion of the toasting pathway.

Abstract: An automatic toaster, comprising heating means (2) with slices of bread pass passing in front of said heating means, and means for transporting slices of bread to said heating means, characterized in that the means for transporting the slices of bread include a spiral-shaped rotating element (6) defining a plurality of housings (11) for slices of bread (30), the length of said housings corresponding essentially to the pitch of the spiral (6).

Abstract: An automatic bread slice-toasting oven comprises a case, a toasting chamber, a guide rail form toasting shelf, an electrical transmission mechanism and a timing control circuit. A push rod provided with push claws is provided beneath the toasting shelf, the push claws are hinged to the two ends of the push rod via pivot pins respectively, the push rod is connected to the transmission mechanism. The motor rotates in the positive and negative directions by the controlling of the timing control circuit so as to reciprocate the push rod, so that the front claw on the push rod pushes the toasted bread slice out of the toasting chamber and the rear claw pushes a bread slice to be toasted into the toasting chamber. The toasting can be carried out automatically, continuously and alternatively by setting the time period of toasting with safety and convenience, thus increasing the efficiency of toasting greatly and ensuring the quality of the toasted bread slice.

Abstract: A loader for a conveyorized cooking apparatus having a transverse partition spaced from an endless loading belt. The loader may include several longitudinal partitions defining a plurality of dispensing stations for loading hamburger patties and like food items. The transverse partition is spaced above the endless loading belt by a distance slightly greater than the typical thickness of a patty to be cooked. The endless loading belt has at least one transverse outwardly extending cleat. As the loading belt travels, the outwardly extending cleat comes into contact with the lowermost patty of each stack of patties on the loading belt and pushes the lowermost patty through the space between the transverse partition and the endless loading belt and into the cooking apparatus. A conveyorized cooking apparatus and a method of loading food patties into a conveyorized cooking apparatus are also disclosed.

Abstract: A sandwich preparation apparatus includes a plurality of sandwich production lines disposed parallel to each other. A width of each line is slightly wider than a width of a sandwich prepared in the apparatus. Each sandwich production line includes an automatic heel toasting device, an automatic patty grilling device, and an automatic crown toasting device. A heel stocker, a patty stocker, and a crown stocker are optionally included in the apparatus. A heel adding section, a patty adding section, and a crown adding section are optionally included in the apparatus. A manual preparation section is optionally included for enabling an operator manually to add additional required food materials to the sandwich. This apparatus produces a variety of sandwiches and hamburgers and is compact enough to fit in a relatively small kitchen.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mixing and forming dough into plural discrete product units on a carrier and storing the ready to bake product, and a vending method and apparatus for separating the product from the carrier, baking the product and delivering the product, such as cookies or the like, to a customer. The mixed dough is formed into units, typically disk-like, and placed in a pattern on one or more first carrier sheets, then second carriers are applied with the product laminated between the sheets. The sheets and product can be fan-folded into containers, such as conventional boxes, which can be stored until needed. The containers are placed in a vending machine which leads the sheet assemblies to a station where the carrier sheets are removed and the product is dropped onto a surface that is moved through a convection oven for baking, then through a cooling station. The selected number of product units is dropped into a serving tray and presented to the customer.

Abstract: An automatic sandwich preparation system in which each sandwich is prepared under the control of a computer with condiments as ordered. Meat patties are packaged in spaced positions along a plastic strip and then frozen. The strips are packed in shipping and storing containers that are received by the automatic sandwich preparation equipment. The meat patties are removed from the strip by directing the strip over a small diameter roller that frees the patty. Two face-to-face plastic strips may be heat sealed to form pockets for the meat patties and also for serving portions of other sandwich components such as chopped vegetables, catchup, mustard and the like. The contents are removed by physical separation of the two strips. In another arrangement, ground meat is formed into a log shape that is frozen. While the log remains frozen individual meat patties are sawed from the log.

Abstract: A front loading and unloading grill apparatus for two-sided grilling of hamburger patties. The grill apparatus includes upper and lower cooking platens, a patty support panel at the front of the lower cooking platen and an endless conveyor for advancing uncooked patties from the patty support panel onto the lower cooking platen. The patty support panel is retracted away from the front of the lower cooking platen and, when the patties are cooked, the conveyor is operated in the reverse direction to move the cooked patties off the front lower cooking platen and discharge the same to a cooked patty receiver at the front side of the grill apparatus.

Abstract: A broiler especially for hamburger patties has an endless conveyor arranged on a frame with the horizontal upper run of the conveyor subjected to the usual supply of heat from above. A stack of initially frozen hamburger patties is arranged above the initial or entry portion of the conveyor upper run, all but the lower patty being confined. Extra heat is supplied from below to the spaced-apart metal rods of the conveyor upper run and to the lower patty lower surface so that the rods burn into the lower portion of the patty. Sufficient interengagement results so that the conveyor readily withdraws the lower patty from the stack.

Abstract: Bread is toasted by being moved by a conveyor, in upright position, between a plurality of radiant heating elements. The conveyor is provided with vertically spaced metal endless belts that carry between them pusher members. The bread is fed toward the conveyor by a spring-urged feeder, whereby slices of bread are removed one by one from the stacked series of slices by the pushers on the conveyor.

Abstract: A frozen patty feeder for a group of individual patties and especially for use with a broiler having a horizontal conveyor run advancing in a predetermined direction includes a first upstanding wall extending transversely of the direction of conveyor advance with the lower margin of the first wall spaced above the conveyor run an amount only slightly more than the thickness of an individual frozen patty. The feeder also includes a second wall extending transversely of the direction of conveyor advance and disposed between a level about even with that of the conveyor and a somewhat higher level, the second wall being inclined in the direction of conveyor advance when considered from the top of the wall downwardly, the first and second walls being spaced apart far enough in the direction of advance to admit of patties of a predetermined diameter when the patties are superimposed upon each other in a staggered, shingled or offset fashion.

Abstract: A toaster characterized by a compact construction and low energy consumption achieved by a shallow toasting portion foldable against a wall mounting portion and by toasting of the slices of bread in zones step-by-step across the breadth of the slices of bread by edgewise displacement of the slices of bread each in a toasting slot extending through the shallow toasting portion and between two elongated heating elements and transversely to the latter with a heat sensitive device controlling even toasting of the zones and stepwise displacement of the slice of bread. The toaster includes a step-by-step actuation mechanism mounted in the wall mounting portion and displacing a toast support toward and away relative to the toasting slot.

Abstract: An automatic toaster for continuously toasting bread slices one at a time, from the bottom of a generally vertical stack of bread slices. The bread toaster includes a housing having a discharge opening at one end and a hopper at the other end for receiving a vertical stack of bread slices. A conveyor feeds the bread slices one at a time between a pair of heating elements whereafter the bread is ejected through the discharge opening in the housing. The pair of heating elements are mounted above and below the conveyor and are movable toward and away from the conveyor so the amount of toasting on each bread slice can be determined according to the preference of the user. An automatic counter is connected to the conveyor for counting the number of slices being toasted and for turning off the toaster after a predetermined number of slices of toast have been made.