Abstract: Food products, for example, hamburger patties, are more rapidly cooked than with existing system and with reduced shrinkage. A cooking appliance is provided having a plurality of parallel spaced heat transfer fins. An array of projecting cooking grills on which the hamburger patty is impaled are thermally connected to said heat transfer fins. This composite cooking appliance is introduced into a liquid heating medium so that heat is transferred through the fins and projecting grills to the interior of the hamburger patty. In this way cooking is accomplished in a relatively short period of time, and the amount of fat and meat juices that are melted or boiled away is reduced. An ejector is adapted to fit between the projecting cooking grills in order to remove the food patty after cooking is completed.

Abstract: This invention provides a novel skewer, for cooking shish kabobs or the like, made from plastic, and comprising two interfitted, but otherwise unconnected members, the interfitting connection joining the handle and the body of the skewer. The body of the skewer and the handle are therefore capable of some relative independent movement. The skewer may be used in connection with a novel method and recipe for preparing foods, in particular, baked shish kabobs, or the like, comprising the steps of coating the food with a dry cassava flour based batter, baking in the oven until warm, applying melted butter or cooking oil, and baking until done.

Abstract: In a deep fryer of a compact, portable type comprising a vessel, a handle, which is mounted to the vessel, a basket, which is adapted to be lowered and raised within the basket, a cover, which fits removably onto the vessel so as to cover the vessel, and means for lowering and raising the basket within the vessel while the vessel remains covered by the cover, wherein the handle has opposite ends mounted pivotally to opposite sides of the vessel, an improvement is disclosed wherein the basket lowering and raising means comprises a pair of pins, each of which is attached to one of the ends of the handle so as to rotate as the handle is pivoted, and which are linked to the basket so as to lower and raise the basket within the vessel as the handle is pivoted oppositely.

Abstract: Reactors in which solids can be processed by fluid-solids contact. The reactors include a shell housing a rotatable, movable assembly or rotor for supporting a bed of solids and for displacing the solids from a first location where they are introduced into the reactor to a second location where they are discharged. As the solids are displaced, process fluid is directed upwardly through the bed in a manner which causes the solids to circulate and come into intimate and uniform contact with the process fluid.

Abstract: An apparatus for cooking or otherwise heating food held in a container which includes upper and lower housing portions. Heating elements are located in the respective housing portions, and the opposed inner walls of the housing portions are adapted to be moved into contact with the food container. The heating elements are positioned immediately adjacent these walls, and these elements are substantially insulated from other portions of the housing. The intimate contact between the inner walls and the associated heating elements causes the food to act as a heat sink whereby the food is rapidly heated in a highly effective manner. The apparatus is particularly useful for the cooking of frozen food located in an appropriate container. Means are provided for retaining the upper housing in spaced apart relationship with the lower housing to permit baking and similar heating.

Abstract: A two-staged pressure cooker comprises an air-tight vessel having an upper-stage chamber for containing foods to be pressure-cooked and a lower-stage chamber for containing water. The two chambers are separated from each other, each having a pressure-actuated regulating valve which allows the chamber to be maintained under an appropriate pressure for cooking. Foods can be placed in both chambers for pressure cooking.

Abstract: Spit roasting apparatus for the spit roasting of roastable foodstuffs, the apparatus comprising a rotatably supported water wheel for rotatably driving a spit member for supporting roastable foodstuffs to be roasted, the water wheel having a plurality of water-receiving trough formations at spaced intervals along its periphery for receiving water to drive the water wheel. The apparatus includes water feed means for feeding water to the wheel during use, control means for controlling the rate of supply of water to the wheel, and compensating means for compensating for eccentricity in the mass distribution of roastable foodstuff supported on a spit member coupled to water wheel, the compensating means comprising a plurality of compensating buckets which are associated with at least some of the trough formations to receive and store overflow from these trough formations.

Abstract: Products such as pancakes, obtained by baking or heating a paste spread tly in a given configuration are made on a machine comprising a smooth and continuous baking surface, which can be flat or evolute, actuated in relative movement with respect to a spreader constituted by a cylinder with a smooth surface dipping into a paste tank at a substantially constant level and arranged to transport and to transfer the paste onto the baking surface at the level of two close generators situated respectively on the baking surface and on the spreader and called transfer generators. A so-called "obturator" is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the generator of the spreader situated at the level of the surface of the paste on the emergence side, and called extraction generator, eliminates the contact necessary for the drawing of the paste by the spreader at certain points of the generator.

Abstract: An electrical hot air grill includes a control and stand unit, a blower and heating unit, a grilling compartment bounded by two shells, a device for supporting articles to be grilled in the grilling compartment and an apertured plate mounted on the blower and heating unit and arranged between the blower and heating unit and the grilling compartment.

Abstract: This invention provides novel apparatus for transferring heat to food articles. Basically, the novel apparatus of the present invention comprises: a chamber; support means for supporting food articles within the chamber; reservoir means for containing a liquid heat-transferring medium; heater means for heating the liquid medium contained in the reservoir means; pump means fluid-connected to the reservoir means and to radiator means located adjacent to the support means through hollow conduit means for circulating the liquid medium between the reservoir means and the radiator means; and control means connected to the heater means for controlling to within .+-.5.degree. F. the desired temperature to which the liquid medium is to be heated and maintained by the heater means.

Abstract: The invention relates to a press, especially for pressing straw material into briquets. The press has a number of press chambers open at either end and a number of pistons, the press chambers and pistons being connected to guiding means and driving means so that the pistons are moved inwards and outwards in relation to the press chambers at one end thereof for introducing press material in portions, pressing the press material and moving it to the other end of the press chambers where it is delivered. The pistons have a smaller outer extent than the inner extent of the press chambers in the engagement region of the pistons. Hereby some advantages are obtained.

Abstract: A device for the flocculation and collection of whey albumin is disclosed, as comprising a basin having a collecting vessel open at the top and at least on one side, at least partially permeable to liquids and rotably carried about a horizontal geometrical axis located at one of the basin walls, and controlled by power means so as to rotate about said axis from a position adjacent said wall to another position inclined with respect to the horizontal, at which latter position the collected product can be discharged through the open side of the collecting vessel.

Abstract: A device for cooking bread articles such as buns, wherein the bun has a cavity formed therein. The buns are cooked about a die having one member which forms a cavity in the interior of the bun and a second member which forms a slot in the bun providing access to the cavity.

Abstract: A barbecue oven comprising a barbecue compartment having a door hingedly mounted in a door opening in a front wall of the compartment and spaced from a top and bottom wall thereof. A heating unit is provided in the barbecue compartment and having an elongate heat-radiating surface disposed the side walls and positioned between a top edge of the door opening and the top wall to radiate heat downwardly towards a spit turret in the compartment. The spit turret is drivingly secured in the compartment between the side walls and disposed in the path of radiation of the radiating surface. Drive means is provided to rotate the turret. A liquid collecting tray is provided in at least a portion of the bottom wall below the spit turret to collect hot liquids dripping from foodstuff supported by the spit turret.

Abstract: A portable barbecue grill apparatus has a unitary frame with an integral handle and removable legs. The heat sources are arranged vertically with the meat placed on two rotating spits, also vertically arranged. The spits are suspended from the frame and a single motor drive both from the bottom. Grease collecting pans, located at the bottom of the spits, are also rotated to prevent burning of the collected grease.

Abstract: A beverage brewer housing structure cooperatively defined by a water heating tank, a portion of a basin overlying the heating tank for receiving poured-in cold water and delivering the water to the heating tank, and a cover overlying the basin. A pour-in drawer may be provided in the cover to be selectively disposable in a retracted disposition within the cover and a pour-in position wherein at least a portion of the drawer is exposed. The cover may be removably secured in the housing structure and in the illustrated embodiment, is secured to the tank.

Abstract: An improved grill device having, in one preferred form, two coal boxes, each coal box being swingable on a horizontal axis between a generally horizontal position and a generally vertical position, the axes being parallel one to another. Novel box support structure is provided for easily locating either coal box in each of the horizontal and vertical positions as selected by the user. In the preferred form, the improved grill device includes a base plate and opposed side plates, the side plates being swingable relative to the base plate between an erect use position and an overlying storage position. A coal box swingable on a horizontal axis relative to the base plate is connected between the side plates when the side plates are erected. Novel box support structure cooperates with novel side plate support structure to maintain the side plates and coal box in the assembled and erect use position.

Abstract: A plant for the automatic production of Arabic flat bread is provided. It consists basically of a sequence of devices or arrangements for performing the following functions: dough portioning, dough kneading and forming, prefermentation, dough rolling into flats, final fermentation, and finally baking. In accordance with the present invention such a plant is primarily characterized by swingably suspended trays having a bran layer on top for carrying the flat pieces during final fermentation passing through the final fermentation housing in a serpentine path.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device for cooking food morsels in a gas-permeable rotating cylinder housed in a heat-insulated housing and flooded with a heated gas stream which enters at that place in the cylinder where the contents accumulate due to the rotation of the cylinder and the effect of gravity.

Abstract: A temperature sensitive timing control device for a toaster appliance includes a main bimetal element and a compensating bimetal element, both mounted on a support member mounted for pivotal movement in first and second directions, but biased toward the first direction. The main bimetal element includes a trigger arm normally engaging a latch release member to maintain the member in a set position. The latch release member when released by the trigger arm, in turn releases the bread carrier latch mechanism. The free end of the compensating bimetal element rests on a limiting screw which determines the extent of movement of the support member in the first direction. A locking member, operated by the toaster bread carrier when the latter is moved into a toasting position, engages the support member to secure it against movement in the first direction. When the bread carrier is moved to the toasting position, the bimetal elements are heated.