CA1075076A

CA1075076A - Steam processing of food products

Info

Publication number: CA1075076A
Application number: CA270,401A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard E. Hofmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1976-04-21
Filing date: 1977-01-25
Publication date: 1980-04-08

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Raw food products such as meat patties and the like are moved longitudinally forwardly on an open mesh belt through a substantially enclosed oven chamber within which live steam is actively applied under positive pressure through an under-positioned body of water along the extent of the chamber is an area beneath and along forwardly moving upper reached of the belt, and through the agency of a perforated, looped pipe system. The oven chamber is maintained substantially enclosed, but is open at its food entry and exit ends sufficiently to enable through-movement clearance of the belt and the food being carried thereon. Condensate is collected within the body of water and is removed by an overflow member to maintain a suitable water level along the bottom of the oven.
The patties after being steam-blanched or cooked in the chamber may be air-dried and frozen for storage and distribution.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In a production line method of substantially uniformly conditioning raw meat patties and the like for quick-service restaurant consumer usage, wherein an oven having a substantially fully enclosed longitudinally extending processing chamber with open entry and exit end portions is employed, and open-mesh continuous conveyor belt has its upper reaches extending from the open entry end portion fully along the chamber and out of the open exit end portion thereof, and a water-reciving tray extends along the bottom portion of the oven from the open entry to the open exit end portions thereof, the improvement which comprises the steps of: providing and maintaining a body of water along the longitudinal extent of the tray, heating the body of water in the tray to a temperature of about 212°F., introducing live steam under positive pressure into and substantially saturate the steam before its application to the patties within the chamber, activity moving the live steam the tray at a sufficient depth within the body of water to upwardly in direct contact with and through and out from an upper surface of the body of water in the form of an active cloud into the chamber of the oven; continuously advancing the patties in progression on the belt along its upper reaches and along the longitudinal extent of the chamber above the body of water, while applying the steam issuing from the upper surface of the body of water substantially fully about and directly upon the patties during their movement along the chamber, and while employing the steam thus applied to the patties as the sole heating means for blanching them on the conveyor belt during their movement through the chamber; and collecting steam condensate in the body of water and draining-off excess water from the tray to maintain it at a suitable steam-receiving level therein.

2. An improved method as defined in claim 1 scoring the patties from opposite sides thereof before placing them on the conveyor belt and introducing them into the oven.

3. In a method as defined in claim 1, continuously moving the patties in the form of relatively flat patties in a substantially equally spaced relation on the belt longitudinally through the chamber of the oven, and applying the steam with a sufficient temperature and pressure within the chamber to heat the food products up to and to process them at a minimum temperature of 138° F., and fully blanching the food products before they leave the exit end of the oven.

4. In a method as defined in claim 1, providing a steam supplying perforated pipe system within and in a submerged position along the body of water, and actively flowing live processing steam from the pipe system at a depth of about one inch from the upper surface of the body of water.

5 . In a method as defined in claim 1, providing an overhead collecting system having nozzles and a header, positioning the nozzles above, outside and closely adjacent to the entry and exit end portions of the oven and employing them to pick-up used steam issuing from such end portions without actively drawing steam out of such end portions, and moving the steam from the nozzles and collecting it in the header for further disposal.

6. In a method as defined in claim 1, preliminarily adjusting the size of the entry and exit end portions of the oven to compensate for different thicknesses of the patties being carried on the belt and to maintain a restricted outflow of used steam from the chamber.

7. In a method as defined in claim 1, subjecting the patties during their continuous advancing movement to a blanching temperature of about 138° to 220°F within the chamber for a period of about one to two minutes during their movement theroalong.

8. In a method as defined in claim 1, providing the oven with a relatively low substantially planar roof to minimize chamber area above the path of movement of the patties therealong and to maintain a substantially constant treatment area above the advancing patties.

9. In a method of cooking raw meat patties and the like for quick-service restaurant and consumer usage, wherein an oven having a substantially fully enclosed longitudinally extending processing chamber with open entry and exit end portions is employed, and an open mesh-like continuous conveyor belt extends from the open entry end portion of the oven fully therealong and out of the open exit end portions thereof, the improvemnt which comprisies the steps of: restricting the size of the open entry and exit end portions of the oven to substantially clearance spacing required for the conveyor belt and the patties placed thereon, providing and maintaining a body of water along substantially the full longitudinal extent of a bottom portion of the chamber of the oven beneath upper reaches of the conveyor belt, heating the body of water in the chamber to a temperature approaching 212°F., placing patties flat on the belt adjacent the open entry end portion of the oven and continuously advancing them progressively sub-stantially horizontally thereon along upper reaches of the belt longitudinally through the processing chamber above the body of water and out through the open exit end portion of the oven, maintaining the chamber in a substantially fully enclosed relation except for the clearance spacing at the open entry and exit end portions thereof, minimizing the outflow of steam from the open entry and exit end portions, and during the progressive advance of the patties on the belt through the chamber, substantially uniformly applying hot processing live steam fully within the body of water at a sufficient depth therewithin to substantially saturate the steam by moving it upwardly through and in direct contact with the body of water, moving the thus-treated steam from the upper surface of the body of water in the form of an active cloud into and along the chamber and directly upon and about the patties being continuously advanced on the belt within the chamber and thereby fully blanching them before they are moved outwardly through the open exit end portion of the oven.

10. In a method as defined in claim 9, introducing live steam into the oven beneath the body of water therein at a temperature within a range of about 180° to 230° F., and minimizing the outflow of used steam from opposite entry and exit end portions of the chamber by maximizing condensation and collection thereof in the body of water, and providing an overflow from the body of water out of the oven for maintaining a substantially constant level of water and condensate in the oven during the operation.

11. In a method as defined in claim 10, initially scoring the food patties before they are introduced through the entry end portion of the oven, air-drying the patties on the conveyor belt after they have left the exit end portion of the oven, and deep-freezing the patties after they have been dried.

12. In a method as defined in claim 10, employing an upstanding open-end overflow pipe member within the tray that extends up through the body of water for maintaining it at a substantially constant level; during the movement of the patties through the chamber, restricting outflow of used steam therefrom to the exit and entry end portions of the oven, providing a looped pipe distribution assembly within the body of water at a depth of at least about one inch from the upper surface thereof and supplying the live steam therefrom, saturating the live steam by moving it actively through the water into the chamber and employing it as a sole heating means for blanching the patties on the conveyor belt during its movement through the chamber.

13. In a method as defined in claim 12, employing a tray for receiving the body of water and to define an enclosing bottom wall for the oven, moving lower reaches of the continuous conveyor belt along a bottom outer side of the tray and restricting its patty supporting movement to forward movement of the upper reaches thereof.

14. In a method as defined in claim 13, continuously removing used steam issuing from the entry and exit end portions of the oven, and returning it to a steam generator for reuse in applying hot processing steam to the oven.