Abstract: A container for protecting a fragile food product during transport and display is constructed from sheet material such as paperboard or the like. The container is formed by folding the sheet material into an open-ended box sized to accommodate the fragile food product inside. End flaps extending from the sides of said box are folded angularly inward and preferably lock in an inwardly folded position to secure the fragile food product inside the container. A retention band is preferably placed around the container and cinched by heat shrink or other method to further secure the end flaps in their inwardly folded position and reduce the movement of the fragile food product therein. Foot tabs are preferably included on the bottom of the container to allow the container to be shipped or displayed upright on a flat surface while maintaining clearance between the fragile food product and the flat surface.

Abstract: A package includes a protective band having a cavity for receiving a fragile food product unit. A wrap material is tightly secured around the food product unit and the protective band to form a package. The protective band may have alternating narrow segments and wide segments to ensure that the wrap material keeps the top and bottom extremities of the food product unit inside the protective band and spaced from the upper and lower edges of the wide segments of the protective band.

Abstract: A packaging assembly for packaging brittle food products such as taco shells and tostada bowls is provided. The package has a generally L-shaped backing assembly into which the food product is inserted. A transparent overwrap covers the entire package. The L-shaped cardboard backing assembly is a three-layer cardboard assembly having an inner corrugated cardboard layer and top and bottom thin cardboard layers with the top and bottom thin layers preferably capable of receiving printed graphics. In a preferred embodiment, the upper and lower thin cardboard layers are formed from a single unitary cardboard sheet which is folded over onto the corrugated sheet to form a sandwich-type three-layer structure. The resulting package supports and protects the tortilla products from damage, yet allows a substantial portion of the tortilla products to be viewed by a consumer, allowing the consumer to quickly verify that the tortilla product has not been damaged or spoiled.

Abstract: A food product cooker having a main frame, a cooking oil pan, a plurality of product carriages, and a main drive endless chain for moving the carriages about the main frame to and from the cooking pan. A food product cooker particularly adapted for producing shells for enchiladas from tortillas, with each carriage having a food product holder with a tubular section on which the tortilla is wrapped and a clamp section which holds the wrapped tortilla in place while being moved into, through and out of the cooking oil pan.

Abstract: A food product cooker having a main frame with a cooking oil pan and a plurality of food product carriages driven about the frame to and from the pan, with each of the carriages including a food product holder having upper and lower sections for receiving and transporting the food product. Each of the carriages includes a holder having pivoted sections for receiving, retaining and molding the food product therebetween. Cam tracks and cam followers provide automatic control of the holder sections. The main drive chain moves the carriages from the unloading position to the loading position, and a separate carriage pusher chain moves the carriages through the cooking vat.