Abstract: Apparatus for treatment of pumpable materials, such as foodstuffs and fodder, which includes a container of cylindrical form for subjecting bulk material to at least a pressure and/or heat treatment. The container is provided with at least one axially mounted, radial wall disposed sealingly against side and end walls thereof. The radial wall has a shaft adapted for the supply and removal of the material on opposite sides of the wall. The radial wall and the container are rotatable relative to each other so that particles or individual portions of the material remain substantially at rest relative to the container wall during the treatment.

Abstract: An improved assembly for moveably supporting food to be cooked in a pressure vessel is provided which assembly includes a rotatable food container and a rotation means therefore which increases the heat exchange between the food and the environment within the pressure vessel. Also provided is an apparatus for cooking food which includes a pressure vessel; heating and cooling means, a rotatable food container and a rotation means therefore which provides a more uniform processing of the food and increases the capacity of the pressure vessel with respect to the bulk of food which can be cooked in a single cycle. An improved process is also provided which includes subjecting the food to pressure, heating the food while maintaining the pressure, rapidly cooling or freezing the food while the pressure is maintained at least during the first portion of the cooling or freezing step while, at least during a part of the cycle, the food is falling intermittently through the atmosphere.

Abstract: Apparatus for continuously, quickly and gently cooking and leaching food pieces such as compacted soy bean products with a cooking liquid, such as water, at elevated temperature comprising an elongate tank for the liquid wherein the tank has a product infeed end and a product discharge end. A driven endless conveyor having an upper flight passing through the liquid in the tank carries food pieces on its upper flight through the hot liquid. There is provided a plurality of means along one or both sides of the tank for withdrawing liquid from the tank at spaced apart points along the side of the tank, means for heating the withdrawn liquid and means for returning the heated liquid to the tank at a plurality of points adjacent the center line thereof.

Abstract: A taco fryer in which an endless conveyor having a pair of parallel drive chains connected by spaced parallel transverse rods with flexible porous web sections extending between the rods has a portion passing through an elongated vat of cooking oil. Each rod pivotally supports a plunger which rotates between an open position extending away from the web and a closed position lying in contact with the web between the rods. Movement of the conveyor is by a single pair of drive sprockets which engage the respective chains where they pass along a pair of spaced longitudinal slots. As the chains emerge from the slots under the force of the drive sprockets, support of the rods and associated plungers and web section is transferred to spaced tracks. The compressive force on the chains as they are pushed out of the slots causes the chains to buckle and the rods to move together, thereby successively collapsing the sections of web between the rods.

Abstract: A toasting-time controller for a toaster, having a setting lever formed integrally with bread supports in the toasting chamber and adapted to turn on a power supply switch when lowered, an energizing control section for setting the setting lever at a lowered position, a bimetal provided outside the toasting chamber, a bimetal switch for controlling energizing of the bimetal in response to a plurality of times of deformation of the bimetal, an operating member adapted to perform a seesaw motion in response to the deformation of the bimetal made at least in one direction, a control rod adapted to perform a linear motion by the use of pawls connected to the operating member and adapted to free the energizing control section at a predetermined position, and a release member for releasing interlocking of the pawls and the control rod.

Abstract: Several forms of skewered food cooking devices are disclosed, each of which provides means for replaceably supporting a plurality of loaded skewers generally cantilever fashion in cooking relation to a heat source, and means for effecting rotation of each of the skewers about its axis while supported in the cantilever fashion. The rotation effecting means comprise a driven member for each of the skewers, and rotary driving member common to all of the skewers and with which the driven members engage releasably.

Abstract: Apparatus for preparing cooked potato chips from raw potatoes. The apparatus includes a slicer for cutting thin potato slices from a raw potato, a conveyor for receiving the thin potato slices as they are cut by the slicer and for conveying the thin potato slices along a sinuous path, a reservoir for containing a quantity of cooking oil, and a heater for heating the quantity of cooking oil. The thin potato slices being conveyed along the sinuous path by the conveyor are suffused with the heated cooking oil whereby the thin potato slices are cooked. The thin potato slices may be suffused with the heated cooking oil by being conveyed through the heated cooking oil contained within the reservoir or by passing through a mist of the heated cooking oil.

Abstract: A means provided for exhausting vapors from a cooker for steam cooking rice and/or other foodstuffs contained in a cooking pot wherein the water in the cooker is heated by a heater provided within the main body of the cooker. The means includes a cylindrical member which forms a hole in an inner lid of the cooking pot, which hole communicates with the interior of the cooking pot, an annular wall around said cylindrical member, an annular vapor guide member suspended from the outer lid down between said cylindrical member and annular wall, back flow holes provided in the inner lid at the place inside the guide member, and exhaust openings provided outside the outer lid. The means not only collectively exhausts the vapors to be generated during cooking from the exhaust openings but also prevents liquid from the rice being boiled over.

Abstract: In the formation of cheese in which the separation of the curd and the serum and the molding of the curd are carried out under the action of gravity in a perforated upright tube, the gravitational action is combined with evacuation of the space surrounding the perforated tube to aspirate the serum and increase the relative density of the curd with respect to the serum, thereby speeding up the separation and improving the molding process.

Abstract: This invention relates to a toaster in which the toasting of a slice of bread is controlled by displacement of a bi-metal element disposed between a heater and the bread, the bi-metal element being displaced by a bread supporter moved in co-operation with a temperature control means. An operating lever is provided for moving a vertically movable means which cooperates with a hook lever for holding the vertically movable means in a bread toasting position. The operating and hook levers are coaxially provided so as to be normally operated together.

Abstract: A disc refiner wherein the operating faces of its discs are arranged to have interdigited teeth disposed in radially spaced rows and to further have dams interposed between selected successively adjacent of said rows. The dams are characterized by being parallel to said rows and substantially coextensive therewith. Each dam is accordingly substantially continuous and each serves in the operation of the discs to block substantially all material moving across the face of the disc of which it forms a part and causes it to be deflected outwardly and to impact on the operating face of the opposing disc. The arrangement is such to insure that as the material the constituents of which are to be separated moves across the respective operating faces of opposed refiner discs it will be repeatedly thrown from one disc operating face to the other and in the process have imposed thereon a forceful separation of constituent parts.

Abstract: A beverage brewer structure wherein a warmer station is selectively utilizable separately or in mounted association with the beverage brewing apparatus. The brewing apparatus may include a removable cover which may be secured to the brewing apparatus by a suitable securing structure. When the warmer station is mounted to the brewing apparatus, the securing structure is utilized to jointly secure the warming station to the cover and the cover to the beverage brewing apparatus. When so installed, the securing structure is hidden within the warming station by a removable portion of the warming station.

Abstract: In abstract, a preferred embodiment of this invention is an improved commercial type food cooker which is enclosed with heating elements both above and below the food. A top forms a closure which allows food to be cooked in a much shorter time than by many previous cooking methods, particularly barbecue type methods.

Abstract: Drupe pitting apparatus includes means which receive such a fruit, produce a partial cut in its pulp and thus define two fruit halves adhered to the pit of the fruit and grips the pit, and means for gripping the outer surfaces of the two fruit halves.

Abstract: A plurality of different liquid flavoring agents is accommodated at static pressure in respective compartments having bottom dispensing valves, and the interior bottom region of each compartment is placed in communication with the atmosphere above the top of the compartment. A quantity of carbonated water is discharged into an open receptacle at a location spaced from the compartment, so that it travels at atmospheric pressure towards the valves associated with the respective compartments. When the discharged quantity of carbonated water reaches the valve associated with the compartment containing the selected liquid flavoring agent, the valve of the compartment in question opens and discharges a preselected amount of the liquid flavoring agent into the carbonated water with which the flavoring agent becomes mixed to form a finished beverage that can be dispensed.

Abstract: A convertible dough makeup line for the selective production of flat bread, loaf bread, or round bread in several simultaneously moving rows of dough pieces, the line having consecutive first and second dough piece molding lines with an upwardly pivotable conveyor unit arranged therebetween and a conveyor for the loading of loaves or round dough pieces arranged underneath the pivotable conveyor unit, the second dough piece molding line, used for the molding of flat dough pieces, consisting of a longitudinal line and a transverse line, each with rolling stations, including a right-angle transfer device between the two lines.

Abstract: Apparatus for treating oil-containing vegetable raw materials by the influence of moisture and heat, whereby during the exposure of a rather thin layer of the oil-containing raw materials to a moisture and heat transfer fluid, the raw materials are subjected to a loosening movement, preferably by means of a vibration.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for making tea or coffee for drinking comprising heaping tea in an extractor and subjecting successive areas of the heaped tea to periodic sprinkling during successive intervals of sprinkling, with cold tap water, each followed by intervals of wet-expanding the tea until the tea is substantially completely wet-expanded. The sprinkling intervals are timed to allow the wet-expanding to take place after each sprinkling of a same area and without collapsing of the wet-expanded tea. The tea resulting from the wetting is filtered out while removing air bubbles therefrom. The extractor has a sprinkler continuously driven during the sprinkling period and the filtrate is taken out through a pipe perforated axially extending into a filtrate-receiving container. The filtrate is delivered as a tea drink and may be stored in a glass container or the like for prolonged periods without loss of flavor.

Abstract: A condenser, connected to receive carbon dioxide and vapors from a liquid fermenting in a container, comprises reflux tubes with baffles in a unit cooled to about -50.degree. C, whereby the vapors condense, reflux and are collected in a funnel from where they flow down a tube dipping into the fermenting liquid. The purified carbon dioxide passes out through an exhaust pipe and may be solidified.

Abstract: Wheat flour products are automatically manufactured with a compact rolling and shaping apparatus which comprises (a) vertically arranged rolling rollers having respective clearances slightly horizontally deviated or offset and having a slitter and cutter in the lower end part thereof, (b) a gelatinizing apparatus, (c) seasoning apparatus, (d) frying apparatus including an endless conveyor and (e) cooling apparatus, combining an endless conveyor and cooling means. The various stages are arranged in upper and lower steps or elevations. A basket carrying endless conveyor is utilized for conveyance between the roller stage, gelatinizing apparatus, seasoning apparatus and endless conveyor of the frying apparatus.