Abstract: An improved dough crust made by a process involving baking and then frying is described. The crust has a fried flavor and is especially advantageous for making frozen pizzas. The crust is formed from a sheeted dough piece which has been docked. During the baking step the docking holes bake through. A hard surface forms in them to both prevent oil absorption through the holes and to prevent crust delamination. After the crust has cooled pizza topping can be applied and the crust frozen.

Abstract: In the production of snacks such as chips from farinaceous dough, the dough is extruded into a ribbon, rope, web or the like which is partially fried and then cut into pieces. The pieces are further fried or processed to form the snacks.

Abstract: A fried pizza crust and a complete pizza product are produced with a method in which perforations are formed in a pizza dough sheet by removing small plugs of dough. Each perforated dough piece is then submerged in a hot oil bath until the crust is fried. The fried crust is removed from the oil and drained, after which it is topped with sauce. The sauce flows into funnel shaped depressions formed over each perforation, some of the sauce flowing through the perforations before congealing. Other topping materials are then applied to the sauce covered crust. The finally topped pizza includes small pools of sauce and flavor enhanced crust areas.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a flat, formable product, such as a piece of milled corn-based product, having a soft, moist, and substantially fiberless consistency, with a corrugated shape. The apparatus comprises a pair of lower rollers, a pair of upper rollers and upper and lower forming elements extending in endless loops between the lower and upper rollers, respectively. The upper runs of the lower forming elements and the lower runs of the upper forming elements are staggered laterally and converge towards one another. Adjacent loops on the lower rollers and adjacent loops on the upper rollers converge towards one another. When the rollers are rotated the upper runs of the lower forming elements and the lower runs of the upper forming elements move forward synchronously. The piece is engaged between the opposed runs and in moving forward with the forming elements is pressed by the forming elements into a corrugated shape.

Abstract: A taco boat fryer in which foldable product carrier sections are linked together and pushed sequentially through a vat containing hot cooking oil. Each product carrier has a pair of hinged plates that are pushed together as the carrier section enters the vat at one end and are pulled apart as the carrier section leaves the vat at the other end. Mating male and female porous mold sections mounted on the respective plates receive a tortilla before the plates are pushed together, the mold sections shaping the tortilla during the movement of the carrier section through the cooking oil.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for making a fruit filling composition-containing yeast-raised dough product such as a Danish pastry-type snack product which can be cooked by frying. The process comprises making a dough-shortening laminate, perforating a portion of the laminate, applying fruit filling composition to the laminate, folding the laminate over the filling, proofing the dough under yeast-activating conditions, and frying the raised product. Icing may be subsequently applied to the resulting product before it reaches room temperature.

Abstract: A machine forms tortillas into cooked taco shells using a conveyor with a plurality of complementary, vertically extending forming elements which shift from a nested to an open condition as the conveyor sprockets are traversed for feeding and discharging the product. On the lower conveyor run the forming elements pass through a channel of cooking oil and then on to a station where cooked taco shells are discharged. A loading conveyor feeds tortillas in a spaced column towards the forming elements and an acceleration conveyor operates between the loading conveyor and forming conveyor for positioning the tortilla for engagement with a forming element.

Abstract: Droplets of an aqueous, flour-based batter are deep fat fried in vegetable oil. These particles are used as a component of a coating mix which is designed to impart a fried taste, texture and appearance to baked foodstuffs.

Abstract: A highly portable Mexican-type food item is provided and more specifically a burrito-type product on a stick. Burritos consist essentially of a highly pliable, soft tortilla wrapped around a burrito food filler. The new burrito includes a self-sustaining tortilla with an edge portion thereof wrapped around a stick or other suitable elongate member which is grasped by the customer, with food filler being enclosed within the remaining portion of the tortilla and with the ends thereof turned in. The portability of the burrito product thus approaches that of an ice cream bar or a coated hot dog having a stick impaled in one end thereof, for example.

Abstract: A highly portable food item is provided and more specifically a burrito-type product on a stick. A burrito consists essentially of a highly pliable, soft tortilla wrapped around a burrito food filler. The new burrito-type product includes a self-sustaining tortilla with an edge portion thereof wrapped around a stick or other suitable elongate member which is held by the customer. The food filler is circumferentially enclosed within the remaining portion of the tortilla, with the upper end of the tortilla first turned in to enclose the upper end and with the lower end of the tortilla subsequently tucked in to enclose that end. The portability of the food item thus approaches that of an ice cream bar or coated hot dog having a stick impaled in one end thereof, for example.

Abstract: A fluid shortening useful in the pan frying or griddling of foodstuffs is described. The composition comprises an edible triglyceride base fat wherein the acyl groups have from 16 to 22 carbon atoms and an amount in the range of from about 0.05% to about 9.8% effective to reduce the gumming tendencies of the triglyceride base fat composition, of a triglyceride having acyl groups of from 8 to 14 carbon atoms. The composition is useful primarily in pan frying or griddling operations and enables such operations to be performed while minimizing the tendency of the shortening composition to form gum or varnish-like deposits on the surfaces of frying and griddling utensils or equipment.

Abstract: Male and female cone-shaped molds are brought into locking engagement with one another to force a quantity of dough deposited upon the upper portion of the male mold throughout a cone-shaped cavity defined by the molds. After seating of the female mold upon the male mold, a lock mechanism maintains the molds coupled as a mold unit during cooking of the dough, whether the cooking is by immersion of the mold unit within hot oil. Relief ports are included in the mold unit to accommodate expansion of the dough and/or gases. The resulting edible cone is fillable with a food substance to serve as an edible container for the food substance. A process for manufacturing the edible cone is also described.

Abstract: A method for producing a laminated, imperforate or non-docked product. The dough is formulated and prepared for cooking by frying, during which partial delamination through the production and coalescence of expanded gas cells within the dough are controlled by the formulation, mixing, sheeting and proofing of the dough prior to cooking, and by the selective confinement of the dough piece during cooking, as in immersion frying and sequentially. The product is suitable for topping, followed by freezing, packaging, and ultimately, for baking into a comestible product, such as pizza.

Abstract: A composition of matter comprising a water in oil emulsion or colloidal dispersion prepared from an emulsified triglyceride or an emulsifier only in combination with an aqueous solution of a dextrin or other soluble saccharides or polysaccharide. The emulsion, prepared by the addition of heat and agitation, is thereafter applied to the surface of a food product by dipping, enrobing, spraying or any other suitable application means to the food product, the excess is removed by suitable means and the coating is allowed to set or dry prior to further processing or packaging of the food. Coating thickness, pick-up and setting of the coating is accelerated by control of both the temperature of the coating composition of matter at the time of application and the surface temperature of the food product.

Abstract: A process for making a bread-like product comprising the steps of frying in hot oil at a temperature of 360.degree.-370.degree. F. pieces of dough which have been formed into a desired shape and thickness for a predetermined period of time to only partially cook the same. The frying step is followed by a subsequent step of baking the fried bread pieces at a temperature of, for example, 375.degree. F., for 15-25 minutes to complete the cooking thereof. Also, the product, i.e., the bread-like pieces, obtained by carrying out the above-described process, may be consumed as regular bread, bread sticks, or used to produce products such as pizzas, garlic bread, pastry hors d'oeuvres or sandwiches (frozen or otherwise). The bread product resulting from the combined steps of frying and baking is undistorted.

Abstract: A method for counteracting the development of light-induced, undesirable organoleptic characteristics in oil-absorbing foods, especially farinaceous snack foods, fried in cottonseed oil which comprises frying the food in cottonseed oil from which the cyclopropenoid fatty acids have been extensively removed. Light-stable, farinaceous snacks and other food products containing cottonseed oil from which cyclopropenoid fatty acids have been removed are also provided.

Abstract: A process for making fried taco shells. Disc tortillas are formed from a sheet of ground corn masa dough, and the formed disc tortillas are passed laterally through a heated baking oven on laterally moving open web support means in successive, appreciably longitudinally spaced transverse rows, each such row including a plurality of the tortillas. The baked tortillas are transferred in the aforesaid row arrangement through an elongated steam chamber and exposed to low pressure steam in the chamber for a time period of about a few seconds to about a few minutes. The steam exposure effects tempering and moisture equilibration in the tortillas. The tempered tortillas are transferred into and through deep fat frying apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus for frying instant noodles wherein a portion of steamed noodle to be fried is contained in a receptacle with a telescoping lid, the receptacle and the lid being mounted on the first and second conveyors respectively so as for the lid to telescope into the receptacle for a certain time according to the movement of the conveyors, during which time the telescoping depth of the lid is caused to vary to obtain a good frying condition.

Abstract: A frying method in which hot oil is discharged upward from nozzles at the bottom of a frying tank at high pressure while a perforated container holding tightly packed noodles is conveyed in a horizontally extending path through the oil. The pressure of the hot oil forces the noodles apart so that they are fried uniformly. The frying of the noodles dehydrates them to the desired degree.

Abstract: A mechanism that is suitable for incorporation in an apparatus for handling articles in a closely-spaced array to remove malformed pieces from those properly formed. The invention is especially useful in systems for treating dough pieces, particularly those used in preparing fried chip foods, to remove malformed pieces such as masa lumps. The mechanism can include a rotatable wheel having a plurality of radial blades extending from a central axis for selectively ejecting the malformed articles from a surface on which both the malformed and normally-shaped articles are interpositioned in the array and are conveyed past and below the outermost extremity of the blades. The ejected articles can be collected for recycling or disposal while the remaining acceptably-formed articles are retained for other treatment or use.

Abstract: A baked coated comestible with the taste, texture and appearance of a fried coated comestible is prepared by coating a moistened comestible with a dry coating composition which comprises a farinaceous material containing bread crumbs and a flour, a binding agent containing a starch and a dextrin, and flavoring and coloring, followed by baking the coated comestible on a surface coated with a minimal amount of oil or fat.

Abstract: A method for frying comestibles comprising frying the comestible in a frying medium containing an oil or fat and an amount of an emulsifier effective to foam the oil or fat during frying. The emulsifiers can be added to the frying medium as part of a dry coating mix which is coated onto the comestible prior to frying.

Abstract: A method for frying noodles in a perforated container having the shape of a cylinder, prism or truncated cone or pyramid and a height of more than 3 cm and being sealed by a perforated cover, the perforations constituting 5 to 30% of the area of the cover. Noodles are fried in such a container after the individual raw noodles have been forced apart and cut, the container is charged with the cut noodles and covered, and the covered container is immersed in hot oil. The noodles are fried in the sealed container in the hot oil at a temperature of 130.degree. C. to 160.degree. C.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a high protein snack food including the steps of inoculating whey, such as derived from cheese making, with yeast, incubating the mixture with aeration until substantially all the whey lactose is utilized by the yeast, heating the culture to precipitate the whey protein, separating the whey protein and yeast cells to provide a paste-like material, mixing the whey protein and yeast cell paste with a filler composed of potato flakes or corn starch or a mixture of the two, plus either baking powder or baking soda (to reduce acidity), plus salt, and egg whites, into a dough, extruding the dough to provide snack-like pieces, frying the pieces in a deep fat fryer, and then cooking the fried pieces in a microwave oven.

Abstract: A method of frying noodles which comprises filling raw noodles in a frying vessel whose volume has been temporarily enlarged by being fitted with a frame; closing the opening of the frame by a cap board; dipping the raw noodles together with the frying vessel in a frying oil to fry the raw noodles; and progressively reducing the inner volume of the frying vessel temporarily enlarged by the fitting of the frame, thereby compressing the fried noodles with a uniform density into a lump assuming a prescribed shape.Also disclosed is an apparatus for frying noodles.

Abstract: A donut making appliance includes upper and lower electrically heated grids movable into and out of mating engagement along first surfaces. Each of the first surfaces of the grids includes a predeterminedly placed annular recess having a central core. Upon bringing the grids into engagement, the recesses are aligned to define a toroidally shaped cavity in which cake or the like batter is placed for baking donut shaped cakes. The central core of the lower grid defines a well preferably having the shape of a truncated cone, open at the first surface of the grid. The central core of the upper grid comprises a plunger having a shape complementary to that of the well and extending outwardly from the first surface of the grid, for receipt in the well upon engagement of the grids. The plunger-well arrangement ensures the alignment of the recesses and the displacement of cooking oil deposited in the well upon bringing the grids into engagement.

Abstract: An improved cooked dough envelope having a protective backing layer and a frozen dessert filling wherein the improvement resides in having the backing layer confined to the inner side of the dough layer facing the filling only and having the margins of the outer dough layer overlapped and sealed.

Abstract: A delamination resistant fried dough product such as a pizza shell having a unique structure is described. It is composed of a flat at least partially fried body of soft porous dough and crispable outer crust with a plurality of blisters having generally hemispherical upwardly extending domed upper surfaces. The blisters usually contain one or more cavities substantially larger in size than the pores of the dough. The blisters are spaced apart from one another laterally and ligaments of dough are located between the blisters to connect the upper and lower surfaces of the crust for the purpose of unifying the crust and preventing the top portion of the crust from becoming delaminated from the lower portion during the frying process. After the crust has cooled, a topping, such as a pizza topping, sugar or glaze, fruit, cheese, egg, custard, etc. is applied to the top surface of the crust which is then usually frozen.

Abstract: A method of producing instant cupped noodles comprising disposing a mass of raw noodles in a liquid-permeable metal cup, the cup having at least a tapered wall, placing a liquid-permeable metal lid to cover the opening of the metal cup, and completely immersing the metal cup in a heated oil for frying the mass of noodles housed in the metal cup while the cup is inverted and immersed, thereby rendering the mass of noodles dense in the portion close to the bottom of the metal cup and sparse in the portion close to the metal lid. The metal cup is then taken out of the heated oil, the metal lid is removed from the metal cup for discharging the fried mass of noodles, and the discharged fried mass of noodles is dried.

Abstract: Tortillas are placed on a flexible, pliable, perforated web made of woven metal. A plunger folds over the tortilla, folding the tortilla and the metal web, and the combination wherein the tortilla is fried crisp in the folded position, thus forming it into a taco shell. Thereafter, the plunger with the taco shell thereon is unfolded from the metal web and the fat drained and shaken from the shell and the shell dropped from the plunger.

Abstract: A friedcake food product bonded to a stick member wherein a dough having suitable tacky character is placed on the stick member so as to surround a first stick portion, a second stick portion projecting from the dough portion. The dough is fried in deep fat for a controlled period of time so that the dough is fried while the dough portion immediately contacting the first stick portion is maintained in a tacky state to retainingly bond the fried dough portion to the stick member.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for forming farinaceous dough ribbon of good quality and at a substantially constant rate. The ribbon is especially employed in processes involving further handling or treating of the dough as a ribbon of substantial length. Compositions comprising farinaceous solids and water are worked to the desired dough consistency in the barrel of an extruder. A positive displacement device is located between the barrel of the extruder and a die to discharge the dough ribbon from the die at a substantially constant rate. The production of ribbon of acceptable quality can be readily maintained. When an undesirable variation in ribbon quality appears, it can be counteracted by controlling only one process variable in the extruder barrel. The dough ribbons are particularly useful in the preparation of cooked snack food products, e.g., fried corn chips.

Abstract: There are disclosed farinaceous dough products having good organoleptic characteristics, especially desirable flavor and taste, which are dough products having a minor portion of the surface of the product selectively toasted by localized heat before the total product is fried or baked. The heat applied to the dough surface is controlled so as to toast the minor portion of the surface without removing too much moisture from the remainder of the dough. The finished product has a toasted flavor when consumed.

Abstract: A donut maker for home use is disclosed which provides perfectly cooked and formed donuts having excellent taste and appearance characteristics notwithstanding the complete elimination of conventional deep fat frying of the donuts. The preferred device includes a base and openable lid section each having a pair of annular metallic concave walls disposed for cooperatively defining a pair of enclosed donut-shaped cooking chambers, along with a heating element for heating quantities of donut batter confined within the chambers; two corresponding sets of oil flow apertures are provided in the lid for allowing flow of cooking oil into the chambers during heating of the batter, in order to give the finished donut products a desirable crust and true donut flavor. In preferred donut-making procedures, cooking oil is introduced into the chamber during initial stages of cooking, whereupon the oil and cooking-generated steam are displaced from the chamber as the batter cooks and rises.

Abstract: Apparatus for cooking various food items. The apparatus includes an enclosed cooking compartment disposed a spaced distance above a reservoir which contains a quantity of cooking oil. A rack is provided for suspending the items of food at spaced apart distances one from the other within the cooking compartment. The oil is heated and forced through nozzles which are uniformly spaced about the interior of the cooking compartment thus forming a mist from the hot cooking oil which saturates the interior space of the cooking commpartment. Thus, the suspended items of food become suffused with the mist of hot oil which effectively accomplishes the cooking process of the food.

Abstract: A noodle cup is disclosed containing a lump of instantly cookable noodles having an evenly distributed, reduced moisture content in which the noodle lump has a less dense lower portion as compared with the upper portion and a shape corresponding to the inside of the hermetically sealed cup, which tapers to a base of smaller diameter than the top. The noodle lump is disposed in the cup in frictional engagement with the sides of the cup and at a spaced distance from the top and bottom of the cup. The noodle lump is formed by filling the cup shaped mold with 50-80% by volume of gelatinized noodles and then dehydrating the noodles by dipping the mold into heated frying oil so that the noodles rise to the top of the mold.

Abstract: An improved process for the production of rice-crackers using rice as the main raw material in which the waste wash water used to initially wash the rice is continuously recirculated for further use in washing fresh raw rice material until the recirculated wash water reaches a contaminate concentration in terms of chemical oxygen demand of up to about 40,000 ppm.

Abstract: Thin slices of dough or other food which slices are apt to become distorted as a result of normal deep fat frying are precooked to give them a stiffness before they are deep fat fried. The precooking takes place on a foraminous screen which passes through a bath of hot oil at a depth such that the thin food slices resting on the screen are immersed to such a limited extent that they do not float but remain firmly resting on the screen. While in the bath hot oil is applied to the top of the food pieces.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a chip-type snack is disclosed. A dough is prepared and sheeted. An elongated shaped ribbon is cut from the dough sheet. The ribbon is passed through a deep fat fryer and then separated into individual chips by fracturing the ribbon.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a chip-type snack is disclosed. A dough is prepared and sheeted. An elongated shaped ribbon of connected dough pieces is cut from the dough sheet. The ribbon is passed through a deep fat fryer and then severed into individual chips.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a chip-type snack is disclosed. A dough is prepared and sheeted. An elongated shaped ribbon of connected dough pieces is cut from the dough sheet. The ribbon is passed through a deep fat fryer and then severed into individual chips.