Abstract: The invention relates to a cooking oven for mass production of food products and a method for cooking food products. The oven includes an enclosure housing which forms a cooking chamber, having an endless pervious conveyor therein upon which food products are transported through the cooking chamber. The conveyor is arranged to provide a helically extending path over which food products will travel to increase dwell time within the cooking chamber while taking less floor space. A heated gaseous cooking medium is introduced into the cooking chamber and is circulated through an annulus formed by the helically extending conveyor to achieve high heat transfer to the food products being cooked. The oven can utilize steam and/or heated air to achieve varied cooking characteristics as desired and allows substantial versatility in the cooking process.

Abstract: A deep fat fryer having an elongated housing for holding a bath of hot fat through which an endless main conveyor carries a food product through the bath from the infeed end to a discharge end of the housing. Above the main conveyor is a submerger conveyor having a run moving from the infeed end to the discharge end of the housing and adapted in operative position to line close to the food portions on the main conveyor and hold them submerged in the hot fat bath. In operative cooking position of the conveyor apparatus, the submerger conveyor nests into the side rails of the main conveyor and an elongated hood encloses the hot bath housing at a zone above the submerger covneyor from one end of the housing to the other.

Abstract: A breading machine is provided in which the breading recirculation system enables effective circulation of excess breading through the machine to be reused for dispending the breading material onto the surfaces of a food product. The circulation system distributes a variety of breading materials more efficiently so as to avoid congestion or build up of the breading materials within the machine which has previously required cleaning or other functions to be performed. The circulation system provides direct auger-to-auger coupling at transition zones between various breading transporting screws within the machine. Further, appropriately positioned discharge chutes are provided to enable some types of breading materials to be transferred at the transition zones without damaging the breading materials. The circulation system is also completely contained so as to be safe and effective in its operation and yet is easily cleanable to maintain sanitary conditions.

Abstract: The invention describes a coating machine which includes an endless pervious conveyor belt supported in an elongated frame which provides a food product conveyance path within the machine. A hopper is disposed above the food product conveyance path in which an amount of a coating material is provided to generate a falling curtain of bread crumbs or the like to cover the top and sides of food product pieces passing along the food product conveyance path. The machine also preferably includes a circular drum type conveyor which is rotatably supported along the elongated frame adjacent the hopper and includes a plurality of pockets formed therein which open into the interior of the machine and the hopper. Conveyors are provided in both the elongated frame and hopper to distribute coating material from the frame enclosure to the circular conveyor which will in turn distribute coating material to the hopper to generate the upper layer of breading material.

Abstract: An adjustable oven for mass cooking of food products comprising an essentially sealed enclosure having a conveyor received therethrough for conveying food through the oven. A heated gaseous cooking medium is applied to the food product during conveyance through the oven by impingement of the cooking medium at high velocity through spaced duct fingers disposed above and below the conveyor system. The gaseous cooking medium is heated and circulated through the oven at high velocity and subsequently recirculated for continuous cooking of food products in the oven. The cooking oven enables optimization of the cooking process by allowing at least certain of the duct fingers to be vertically adjustable relative to the food product so as to maximize heat transfer therefrom for any particular food product.

Abstract: A breading machine incorporating the present invention for use with fresh or green bread crumbs for continuously coating a battered food product having a frame supporting an endless conveyor on which food product is disposed defining a food product conveyance path, and a rotatable drum type conveyor disposed adjacent to the path and operable to receive fresh bread crumbs and to convey the bread crumbs into a hopper for distribution to the food product conveyor for coating the food product carried thereon.

Abstract: An oil circulation system for use in a deep fat fryer which has a heated bath of cooking oil carried in a reservoir through which food products are carried on a conveyor means for cooking or frying said products; the oil circulation system generating a flow of cooking oil that moves through the oil bath in a direction transverse to the movement of the food product and which provides substantially equal temperature throughout the oil bath.