Abstract: Apparatus for use in blanching edible nuts, particularly peanuts. Two generally vertical plates are disposed in spaced parallel relation to one another and connected to a drive mechanism for producing lengthwise oscillations of the two plates, both of which are covered with abrasive inner surfaces. Unblanched peanuts are fed into a gap at the top of the two plates, which are set apart by a distance generally corresponding to the average thickness of the peanuts being processed. As the peanuts move down between the plates, the oscillating action of the plates blanches the peanuts which drop out through the bottom and are carried away for further processing, packaging, inspection or the like. Vertical grooves are formed in the inner face of each plate near each end thereof to prevent the nuts from falling out of the open ends between the plates.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for slitting the skins of shelled peanuts, or the like, without splitting the nuts. Peanuts are fed in a single stream into the bite of a pair of rollers mounted one above the other for rotation about parallel horizontal axes. The rollers are driven to carry the stream of nuts into engagement with slitting elements disposed on both sides of the bite of the rollers. The upper roller is carried by a yoke pivoted to a drive shaft and is adapted to rise and fall to and away from the lower roll according to the size of the nut being fed therethrough whereby a substantially constant gripping pressure is applied to the nuts irrespective of the size of the nut. A power drive system connects between the drive shaft and the upper roll.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for buff blanching peanuts. The machine is adapted to remove the dark outer skin of shelled peanuts and, at the same time, produce a textured finish on the surface of the nuts to enhance the adhesion of an applied coating such as chocolate or the like. The buff blancher includes a pair of driven parallel rollers having abrasive surfaces and mounted in closely spaced parallel relation with one roller being offset above a lower roller. The rollers are mounted in a housing into one end of which peanuts are delivered for movement along and against the two rollers and discharged at the other end of the housing. The housing may be raised at the feed end in order to provide an incline for the flow of nuts and may be tilted about its longitudinal axis to control the degree of buffing action between the peanuts and the rollers.

Abstract: Shelled nuts, particularly peanuts, are blanched by depositing the nuts in a stream onto the surface of a horizontal, rotating table. Relatively fixed baffles or vanes having abrasive working faces are positioned slightly above the upper surface of the rotating table and extend generally from the periphery of the table to a point offset from the center thereof, whereby nuts deposited near the outer portion of the table will be carried against the abrasive face of each vane and spin inwardly towards the center of the table as they are being blanched. The center of the table is formed with a well opening into which the blanched nuts are dropped and then fed onto a conveyor by an inclined trough for subsequent handling such as roasting, packaging or the like. The vanes may be curved or straight and may be adjustable to control the blanching action as well as the blanching time.