Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for cooking food are provided. In particular, food is placed in a bowl held at an angle to horizontal. With the food in the bowl, the bowl is simultaneously heated and rotated. A scraper assembly is disposed within the bowl, to lift the food from the side and bottom surfaces of the bowl as the bowl rotates. A temperature sensor can be provided to provide a signal to discontinue rotation of the bowl and the application of heat to the bowl when the food has reached a desired temperature. A tilt mechanism can also be provided to maintain the food within a desired distance from the top edge of the bowl.

Abstract: Described is a pitting machine, system and process that singularizes or individualizes fruit pieces, such as cherries, olives, dates and plums and that attempts to remove pits and pit material from each fruit piece. A conveyor comprises depressions, wells or receptacles for accepting fruit pieces for processing. The conveyor accepts fruit pieces into wells, passes the fruit pieces into a pitting area wherein the pitting machine removes pit material from the fruit pieces by a matrix of punching needles or pitting needles. The matrix moves in an oscillatory fashion in synchronization with generally continuous movement of the fruit pieces engaged in the conveyor. The singularization enables easier and better processing, sorting, and quality checking of fruit pieces. Quality checking may be done before and after pitting of fruit pieces. Quality checking may include desired color and size of each fruit piece. Quality checking virtually ensures successful or sufficient removal of pits and pit material.

Abstract: A device that combines the functions of a colander or strainer with a leak-proof bowl. This allows you to use the same container to rinse a product, then prepare, condiment, potentially serve the dish (whether under wet, moist or dry conditions) and even store it afterwards. A method for using the combined purpose container.

Abstract: A double blade peeling device for vegetable and fruit comprises a handle attached to a vegetable and fruit retaining member and a body of screw, the handle can drive internal gears to rotate, so as to make the retaining member and the body of screw to rotate as well. The body of screw, which is provided with two screw threads, drives upper and lower blade carriers to move upward and downward oppositely, such that the blades mounted on the upper and lower blade carriers move downward and upward respectively, contact the rotating food frictionally, and peel vegetable or fruit from upside and underside simultaneously. When two blade carriers move to the intermediate position to complete the peeling action, the two blade carriers open through wedge in blade carrier devices, two blades leave the surface of food, the lower blade carrier devices disengage with the body of screw. The body of screw drives upper blade carrier device to press the lower blade carrier device to move downward unceasingly.

Abstract: A drupe which is infested with a larva of a moth or larvae of other insects, and is contaminated with related excretions, referred to as a “frass”, in a central zone within the drupe, is cleansed with a longitudinally bored pitting knife mounted in the pitting head of a conventional pitting machine. A source of cleansing fluid is connected to the bore within the knife and fluid is discharged through radial passages in the knife, which radial passages communicate with the longitudinal bore. In operation, while the knife pits the drupe, fluid discharged from within the knife contacts the walls of the passage left by the ejected pit, and removes the frass. If desired, the drupe may be first pitted, then decontaminated or washed, and/or dried sequentially, in separate stages. The invention is particularly effective with dates, prunes, olives, cherries, nectarines, peaches and avocados.

Abstract: Automatic pear processing machine, performing the operations of singularizing the pears, picking them up from a container (2), peeling and coring them, and separating the edible parts, wherein the improvement consists, besides other things, in providing elements (14, 25, 26, 27, 20) allowing to immediately reject pears of irregular form, which would necessarily lead to waste material, and moreover, in providing holes (46, 53) of very small diameters, on the blades (44, 45) used for cutting the pears into segments. The holes (46, 43) of very small diameter, or “microholes”, allow to inject a fluid, so as to ensure the detachment of the core from both halves of the pears, and the detachment of these parts from the blades (44, 45).

Abstract: A drupe which is infested with a larva of a moth or larvae of other insects, and is contaminated with related excretions, referred to as a "frass", in a central zone within the drupe, is cleansed with a longitudinally bored pitting knife mounted in the pitting head of a conventional pitting machine. A source of cleansing fluid is connected to the bore within the knife and fluid is discharged through radial passages in the knife, which radial passages communicate with the longitudinal bore. In operation, while the knife pits the drupe, fluid discharged from within the knife contacts the walls of the passage left by the ejected pit, and removes the frass. If desired, the drupe may be first pitted, then decontaminated or washed, and/or dried sequentially, in separate stages. The invention is particularly effective with dates, prunes, olives, cherries, nectarines, peaches and avocados.

Abstract: A pit detection apparatus (10) and method for detecting the presence of pits or pit fragments (12) in fruit (14) as the fruit (14) passes through a zone of inspection (16) includes a scanning beam generator (17) for sweeping a transmission scanning beam (28) across the inspection zone (16). The inspection zone (16) is located intermediate the beam generator (17) and an array (38) of transmission sensors (40). The sensors (40) generate transmission sensor signals indicative of received light intensity from the beam (28). A second sizing beam generator (50) and associated array (60) of sensors (62) generate sizing signals representative of te optical path length through which the transmission scanning beam (28) travels within the fruit (14). The transmission sensor and sizing signals are applied to an analysis circuit (44) wherein the signals are analyzed to determine the presence or absence of pits or pit fragments (12).

Abstract: A fruit pitting machine apparatus for separating unpitted fruit from pitted fruit having pitting needles which force fruit pits through a pair of springloaded jaws. As a pit is forced through the jaws a pneumatic valve actuates a pneumatic pressure switch which generates electric signals in an electrical memory. If the jaws are not actuated by a pit being forced therethrough an air ejector will eject the unpitted fruit into a separate container following a predetermined positional relay for aligning the unpitted fruit with the ejector.