Abstract: An oven for cooking food products comprising a substantially closed enclosure except for an inlet and an outlet in the end walls of the oven. A heater means extends through the top wall of the enclosure into the cooking chamber for producing a gaseous cooking medium and suction fan means are provided on the enclosure top wall on either side of the heater means and in relatively closely spaced relation to the outlet of the heater means, and a source of moisture is disposed between the heater means outlet and the suction side of each of the fans for mixing moisture with the heated medium from the heater means. A conveyor is adapted to receive food products and move the products through the oven from the inlet to the outlet thereof, and duct fingers are provided both above and below the conveyor for directing and impinging the heated gaseous cooking medium onto the food products being moved by the conveyor through the oven.

Abstract: A breading machine for selectively dispensing flour breading or free flowing breading and wherein the machine has a frame and conveyor apparatus supported in the frame defining a conveyance path having a product inlet end and a product outlet end, and a hopper pivotally attached to the frame at the inlet end and movable between a breading dispensing position and a hopper cleaning position, frame support apparatus pivotally attached to the frame at the outlet end and selectively adjustable to provide for flour breading of a food product wherein the said product is flipped over at the outlet end of the conveyor apparatus or for free flowing breading to be applied to the food product wherein the said product exits from the conveyor apparatus in the same manner in which it is initially introduced to the conveyor apparatus, and wherein the frame support apparatus is also adjustable between a conveyor apparatus supporting position and a cleaning position above the conveyor apparatus, and breading pumping slot appar

Abstract: A two-stage filter apparatus for removing particles entrained in a liquid wherein the liquid is initially presented to the first filter stage having an endless filter belt for removal of a portion of the entrained particles to result in a liquid having a decreased density of particles. This resulting liquid of decreased density is then presented to a cyclone filter in the second filter stage and divided into two parts, one part which is substantially free of any particles which is then available for its intended use and a second part that is presented to another endless filter belt and returned serially to the first filter and then the second filter stages for subsequent filtering of particles.

Abstract: A sprinkle belt that is operable in a breading machine for coating food products with various kinds of flour type breading to insure that the top coating is evenly applied and relatively light rather than a heavy or clumpy coating as normally applied by present breading machines. As herein disclosed, the preferred embodiment of sprinkle belt comprises an endless wire mesh belt movably disposed in a breading machine of the type disclosed in the assignee's copending application entitled Breading Machine, Ser. No. 421,169 filed on Sept. 22, 1982 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,084, and which belt is operable to intercept the discharge of flour breading from the machine hopper as it falls toward food products passing therebelow to disperse said discharged breading into a cloud-like curtain that is substantially evenly and relatively lightly applied as a top coating to the food product.

Abstract: A breading machine for selectively dispensing flour breading or free flowing breading onto a food product, and wherein the machine has a frame and conveyor structure supported on the frame defining a conveyance path having a product inlet end and a product outlet end, and a breading hopper attached to the frame adjacent the inlet end for applying a coating of breading to the food product, and breading pumping slot structure attached to the frame for providing breading to the input end of the conveyor, with a fluffer mechanism mounted on the pumping slot structure for breaking up any caking or lumping of the breading on the conveyor prior to the point of introduction of the food product to the conveyor.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for producing convenience foods from food units coming from the grower in various sizes. The vegetable or fruit food units of various sizes, are cleaned and handled and frozen in a generally conventional manner, and then are compressed by a high capacity press into a standard predetermined size of frozen block of food product, after which the block is cut by sawing, into generally equal size units which can then be further processed, such as for instance batter coated and cooked, and then packaged by count, prior to shipment.

Abstract: A combined heat shield and steam distributor for a cooking oven, adapted to be located in the oven between a flame producing combustion unit in the oven and a movable food product conveyor, to aid in protecting food product on the conveyor from generally direct exposure to flame, with such shielding and distributor means also providing for distribution of steam into the cooking chamber for intermixing with the gaseous cooking medium of the oven.

Abstract: An oven and method for cooking food products. The oven comprises an elongated housing having an inlet for food products to be cooked in the oven and an outlet for emitting cooked food product from the oven, together with means for heating a gaseous cooking medium in the housing for cooking the food products therein, and a plurality of vertically tiered endless conveyors for passing the food product back and forth through the housing during the cooking process, whereby an oven taking less floor space for a predetermined flow path extent of cooking various food products, is provided.

Abstract: A batter mixer for mixing a dry powder batter mix with a predetermined quantity of liquid which comprises an upright open top housing having a mixing chamber therein, means connecting the mixing chamber to a source of fluid, fluid control means in circuit with the connecting means being responsive to the flow of fluid therethrough to accurately measure and control a selected quantity of fluid flowing into the chamber, said chamber having openable cover means for providing ready access to the interior thereof for deposition of dry powder batter mix therein, and mixing means in the chamber for thoroughly mixing said selected quantity of fluid and batter mix.

Abstract: A breading machine for selectively dispensing flour breading or free flowing breading and wherein the machine has a frame and conveyor means supported in the frame defining a conveyance path having a product inlet end and a product outlet end, and a hopper pivotally attached to the frame at the inlet end and movable between a breading dispensing position and a hopper cleaning position, frame support means pivotally attached to the frame at the outlet end and selectively adjustable to provide for flour breading of a food product wherein the said product is flipped over at the outlet end of the conveyor means or for free flowing breading to be applied to the food product wherein the said product exits from the conveyor means in the same manner in which it is initially introduced to the conveyor means, and wherein the frame support means is also adjustable between a conveyor means supporting position and a cleaning position above said conveyor means, and breading pumping slot means pivotally attached to the fram

Abstract: In a typical breading machine for automatically coating the exterior surfaces of edible products such as for example seafoods, poultry, red meats and vegetables, a method and apparatus for distributing and sifting what is defined in the art as Japanese style bread crumbs which display a wide variation in crumb sizes. The typical breading machine provides for the conveyance of the product to be coated along a conveyance or coating path on a bed of breading placed on the conveyance means at a first location whereby the surfaces of said product which engage said bed are coated with breading. A separate quantity of breading is subsequently presented to the product being conveyed at a second location along the conveyance path whereby the remaining surfaces of the product are coated with breading.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for providing a very light pre-dusting coating on a food piece intended for batter-coating. The apparatus includes a movable belt on which is provided a preliminary coating of breading material on which the product pieces are placed. A series of drag plates are then provided across the belt supported from above in a position to engage the breading material on the belt and to provide a standing wave of breading material pushed up by contact with the drag plates. These plates then distribute the standing wave of breading material over the top of the product while the plate lower edges remove a majority of the top coating.

Abstract: The apparatus of this invention provides a mixing pot, open at the top, into which are simultaneously discharged a measured amount of water and a measured amount of a finely divided dry mix of leavened batter forming material, herein called a batch. This introduction of a batch takes place quickly in about thirty to sixty seconds. At the same time a specially designed mixer cage is suspended in the mixing pot and rotated and orbited around the pot in a manner to agitate thoroughly all the contents. The completed batter is then quickly propelled mechanically to batter applicator apparatus.

Abstract: A vertical joint structure is shown extending longitudinally of a generally cylindrical housing encasing a screw conveyor for a breading machine or the like. The housing comprises two generally C-shape half portions formed of sheet metal and assembled by means of a novel joint structure along two longitudinal zones diametrically opposite in the housing. One half portion is fixed in the machine and the other half portion is movable toward and away from a tight fit of the joint structure with the fixed half portion. The distal edges of the movable C-shape half portion extend a short distance beyond a diameter of the housing at approximately a right angle to that diameter and are there bent downwardly and outwardly at an acute angle to a zone just at, or a little beyond, that diameter and there bent outwardly approximately radially of the cylindrical housing. This forms a first linear sealing surface at the acute angle portion.

Abstract: A filter is provided for removing particles entrained in a liquid, this filter comprising an endless fine mesh filter belt which is relatively short and which moves slowly over a supporting plurality of generally cylindrical rolls. This belt is a single layer of generally delicate woven metallic mesh and is provided with special means for moving and tracking the belt. This moving and tracking structure includes a link belt endless chain outside of each longitudinal side edge of the belt, these chains being rigidly attached over the adjacent edge of the belt. The belt can be held to its desired path around all of the supporting rolls and, preferably, over a suction box and past a cleaning point and returning to a starting point with no sensing devices, no special tracking rolls or tenter rolls, without powered devices, and with a minimum of close tolerance machining.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for coating the under side of a food product with a batter material of intermediate viscosity so as to eliminate substantially all bare spots.

Abstract: A char marker is presented for marking meat patties to simulate the marking normally produced when broiling a patty over charcoal on spaced bars which produce parallel charred dark stripes on the surface of the product. The char marker of this invention permits a plurality of hot marking rings each to independently follow its own rolling path over the product, thus compensating for the individual irregularities of the patties and producing superior and consistent markings.

Abstract: A machine is presented which is specifically designed to accept a batch of mixed cut-up poultry parts, to coat the parts in a wet coating unit with a liquid mixture of water and egg or milk solids by tumbling them in a smaller volume of the liquid mixture, to transfer the parts with a short drip time by gravity to a dry coating unit, there to tumble them in a smaller weight of flour and coat them with the flour to an appearance equal to or better than hand coating, to continue tumbling them while excess dry material is removed from the tumbling volume and stored, to stop after a pre-set dry tumbling time and present the fully coated parts with a minimum of excess flour for hand removal, while properly cycling a sifting mechanism to entrap dough balls above a desired minimum size. Each successive batch may be liquid coated while the preceding batch is hand removed. The operator may determine the number of successive batches processed before changing the liquid mixture or removing the entrapped dough balls.

Abstract: A method is presented of coating a food product with a finely divided particulate coating material comprising the steps of providing a flow of said coating material to a moving belt which provides a product path centrally thereof; splitting said flow and providing a bed of said material of predetermined thickness on a central portion of said product path while diverting parts of said material flow laterally on both sides of said central portion; placing a food product on said central portion; advancing said product and said coating material down said path; and discharging said coated product at the end of said path. The method also includes the additional steps of moving the laterally diverted parts of material flow laterally inwardly on top of the food product on the central portion of the product path, and assisting excess coating material under and around the product to return to circulation.

Abstract: A patty stacker is presented which is fully adjustable over a wide range of length, width and thickness of frozen or reasonably stiff meat patties or other flat food shapes hereinafter called patties; which accepts a predetermined configuration of individual patties either plain or frozen on a rectangle of paper from the discharge point of a separate conveying means in one or more parallel independent lanes; which quickly attains and retains a reasonably positive hold on the individual patty as it enters the conveying means; which accelerates the patty to a predetermined rate of speed; which conveys the patty in a horizontal plane past patty sensing means; which delivers the patty in a reasonably controlled manner into the top of a substacking volume; which counts patties into a reasonably stable substack at a level below the plane of the conveying means; which drops the substack in a reasonably controlled manner into a main stack volume; which repeats the substacking operations as necessary to obtain the pre