Abstract: A potato chip that has more oil near its outer surfaces than in its interior and a unique RVA profile is disclosed. The organoleptic properties of the inventive potato chips compare favorably to known and commercially available potato chips.

Abstract: A system and method for storing, preserving and cooking meals using the sous-vide technique. The system and method of the present invention is designed to automatically cook, upon request a meal having various ingredients by immersing bagged food in temperature controlled liquid. The cooking time may be manually or automatically programmed from downloaded cooking direction associated with the food. The cooking request may be given by a user from the physical apparatus or using a mobile device application.

Abstract: An apparatus for frying snack foods, the apparatus including a fryer having a tubular frying section with inlet and outlet ends, the outlet end downstream relative to the inlet end. An oil supply system for supplying oil to the inlet end. A food input at the inlet end adapted to introduce pre-fried snack food pieces into a flow of oil at the inlet end. A food output at, or downstream of, the outlet end adapted to separate fried snack food pieces from the flow of oil. An oil flow accelerator accelerating oil flow from the inlet end to the outlet end thereby conveying the snack food pieces, immersed in the oil, from the inlet end to the outlet end during a frying process. Also disclosed is a method of frying snack foods.

Abstract: A beverage forming method and system in which a heater tank can be filled with liquid to an expansion level after a beverage is formed. The liquid in the heater tank may be heated, causing expansion of the liquid in the tank. Thereafter, a volume of liquid may be delivered to the tank to fill the tank to a liquid delivery level at which the tank is filled to deliver a controlled volume of liquid to form a beverage. No further heating of liquid in the tank may be performed or required after filling to the delivery level since the volume of liquid delivered to fill the tank to the liquid delivery level may be relatively small. Accurate volumes of liquid may be delivered in a way that compensates for any expansion that may occur due to heating.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for fast and homogeneously heating a liquid product to a heating temperature by means of resistive heating, the apparatus comprising at least two vertically mounted, longitudinal, heating chambers that are arranged in series.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for the production of cheese. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for making pasta filata cheese. In one embodiment a tube within a tube design is used for the production of pasta filata cheese.

Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are provided for baking a food product in a portable baking oven. The baking oven includes a main body, lower and upper stones, a heat shield suspending the upper stone above the lower stone, and a heat element emanating heat upward to a rotating flat panel having the lower stone thereon. Convection heat from the heat element moves upward from below the rotating flat panel and past a periphery of the flat panel, channeled by the heat shield to the upper stone, to move along the upper stone, and then down along the heat shield, on the opposite side. With this arrangement, the heat element heats the upper and lower stones with convection heat moving between the lower and upper stones in a side-to-side manner.

Abstract: In a food preparation appliance and method for preparing food, an outer bowl has a bottom and a peripheral sidewall. An inner bowl is disposed at least in part within the outer bowl in spaced relationship therewith such that a gap is defined between the inner and outer bowls. The inner bowl has an interior space in which food is contained. A steam generator is in fluid communication with the gap between the inner bowl and the outer bowl, and is operable to deliver steam into the gap between the inner bowl and the outer bowl. The inner bowl and the outer bowl are configured relative to each other to define a tortuous flow path for steam to flow from the gap between the inner and outer bowls into the interior space of the inner bowl.

Abstract: In a method of baking both sides of ingredients between upper and lower dies with the upper and lower electric heaters respectively, a temperature of one of the lower and upper dies is detected. Based on temperature information detected thereby, consumed power of the other of the lower and upper dies is controlled, thereby making a temperature of the lower die closer to that of the upper die, thereby baking both sides of the ingredients.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a beverage preparation device (100) including a plurality of storage chambers for storing several ingredients having each a different taste property, a user interface (14) for receiving data representing a user's preferred taste, a taste management unit (10) and a generator (15). The taste management unit (10) includes a memory (11) for storing a reference table which describes the taste property of each ingredient and a processor (12) for determining the dosage of each ingredient to be used according to the reference table and the user's preferred taste. The generator (15) generates beverages from the several ingredients according to the determined dosage. The main advantage of this invention is that the beverage preparation device (100) can provide beverages according to the user's desired taste.

Abstract: Devices and methods for automating the process of making flatbread, such as roti. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing, an ingredient metering assembly, a mixing bowl assembly, a mixing actuator assembly, a cooking assembly, and an electronic assembly. The housing defines an interior volume and has several access openings with corresponding lids and/or covers. The ingredient metering assembly includes a flour container assembly, a flour delivery system, a water reservoir, and an oil reservoir. The mixing bowl assembly includes two bowls and a measurement system. The mixing actuator assembly includes a mixing mount, a mixing motor, a mixing paddle assembly, and a lower motor. The cooking assembly includes two platens and an actuator assembly. The electronic assembly includes a power source, a control module, and a LCD input/output screen. All components are integrated within the housing such that the apparatus is a consumer grade countertop appliance.

Abstract: A turkey cooking apparatus provides a pot and a specially configured insert (e.g., basket) that rests upon the pot bottom. A lower funnel shaped section and upper tube shaped section are provided inside the pot. The insert (e.g., basket) sits upon funnel shaped portion. The insert has a central opening that is receptive of the tubed portion. Both the insert and the tube section can have openings that enable steam to travel upwardly to cook the turkey carcass.

Abstract: A master controller programmed to execute a recipe, stored in computer memory, for a finished food product, prepared from a plurality of raw ingredients; a raw ingredients storage unit controller controlled by the master controller and programmed to control a mechanism for getting the plurality of raw ingredients for the recipe; a cleaning controller controlled by the master controller and programmed by computer software to control one or more cleaning devices configured to clean one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients; a manipulator controller programmed to control one or more devices which physically manipulate one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients by one or more of grinding, mincing, peeling, cutting, and rolling one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients; and a heater controller programmed to control one or more heating devices to heat one or more of the plurality of raw ingredients.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to remove or reduce iodine contained in a marine natural product extract, while maintaining the original flavor, taste, appearance, etc. of the marine natural product extract before processing. A first anion exchange membrane (5) and a second anion exchange membrane (6) are sequentially arranged from the anode (3) side. Between the anion exchange membranes (5, 6), an extract receiving compartment (9) is formed and fed with a marine natural product extract (21). An iodine recovery compartment (8) is formed on the anode side of the first anion exchange membrane (5). A replenisher receiving compartment (10) is formed on the cathode side of the second anion exchange membrane (6) and fed with a replenisher containing chlorine ions (24).

Abstract: The disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for the production of cheese. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for making pasta filata cheese. In one embodiment, a continuous cooker stretcher is used for the production of pasta filata cheese.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for optimization of a production of frozen ice cream products, such as extruded edible ice cream products, from a freezing system comprising a freezing apparatus, comprising recording one or more properties of the production, such as one or more measured values related to the freezing system during the production process, and using the one or more recorded properties for controlling one or more operational parameters of the freezing system. The method also involves conveying pre-products to be frozen into the freezing apparatus, cooling the pre-products to form frozen products inside the freezing apparatus, conveying the frozen products out of the freezing apparatus measuring one or more surface temperatures of frozen products leaving the freezing apparatus, and using the one or more measured surface temperatures for controlling one or more operational parameters of the freezing apparatus.

Abstract: The invention relates to a UHT system for heat treating temperature-sensitive food products, in particular desserts or dessert-like products, comprising a pre-heating zone and a subsequent high-heating zone. The aim of the invention is to achieve accurate and fast temperature adjustment of the food product leaving the pre-heating zone to the temperature conditions at the inlet of the high-heating zone in a UHT system of the generic type, and at the same time, with an equal dwell time for all partial amounts of the food product, to ensure that the food product is treated in a particularly thermally gentle manner and to keep the mechanical loading of the food product as low as possible.

Abstract: Disclosed are packaging systems and method useful in extending the storage-life of foodstuff such as fresh fish. The packaging systems and methods can be used to transport or store the foodstuff for an extended period of time. The packaging systems preferably use a fuel cell to maintain a reduced oxygen level in the environment surrounding the foodstuff.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for forming frozen food products, especially frozen foamed food products wherein the products contain bubbles having a reduced average size preferably in a narrow size range or contain ice crystals having reduced size.

Abstract: A beverage mixing system/method allowing faster mixing/blending of frozen beverages is disclosed. The system/method in various embodiments utilizes inductive coupling to introduce heat into the frozen beverage during the mixing/blending process via a rotating driveshaft and attached mechanical agitator to speed the mixing/blending process. Exemplary embodiments may be configured to magnetically induce heat into the driveshaft and/or mechanical agitator mixing blade to affect this mixing/blending performance improvement. This heating effect may be augmented via the use of high power LED arrays aimed into the frozen slurry to provide additional heat input. The system/method may be applied with particular advantage to the mixing of ice cream type beverages and other viscous beverage products.