FR2536004A1 - Device for cutting up potatoes or the like into sections having the form of French fries. - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for cutting up potatoes 15 or the like into sections having the form of French fries. According to the invention, this device is characterised in that it comprises at least one hollow punch 10 capable of piercing, in each section, a hole passing right through the latter.

Description

the present invention relates to a device for cutting potatoes or the like into sections in the form of French fries.

 We know that when you fry fries, some of them are more crisp than others and, generally, the interior of said fries is less crisp than the surface. However, it is generally the most crispy fries that we tend to prefer.

To remedy the drawbacks mentioned above, the present invention proposes to make, in each section of potato intended to give a fries, a central and longitudinal hole. Thus, during the cooking of the fry, the cooking fat can penetrate inside the fry and make this interior crisp.

Of course, as it can be tedious to drill a longitudinal hole in your potato section, the present invention provides an automatic device.

To this end, according to the invention, a device for cutting potatoes or the like into sections in the form of French fries, is characterized in that it comprises at least one cookie cutter that tubular capable of piercing in each section a hole very pouring this right through.

the workpiece holder can have a section of any desired shape, and, when it is tubular, its diameter can be of the order of 2 to 3
In addition to the taste improvement provided by the invention, it can be seen that the cooking time of the fries is shorter, which corresponds to an energy saving and that all the fries are crisp.

In the case where, in known manner, the device for cutting potatoes or the like into sections in the form of French fries is of the type comprising a cutting grid defining a plurality of adjacent cells and each provided with a cutting edge the contour determines the section of said sections, a support face for a potato and means for imparting a relative movement of approximation between the grid and said support face, so that said grid simultaneously cuts a plurality of sections in said potato, it is advantageous that, with each of said cells, there is associated such a tubular cookie cutter capable of piercing in each section a hole passing right through it.

It is then advantageous for said cookie cutters to be centered with respect to said cells.

Thus, each section of potato cut into the shape of a french fry gives rise to a small cylinder corresponding to the passage of the corresponding tubular cookie cutter. This cylinder is housed inside the cookie cutter and one can imagine that a potato cylinder is ejected from the cookie cutter during the perforation of the next fries. However, it is preferable that, with each cookie cutter, there is associated a needle capable of ejecting the potato cylinder cut by said cookie cutter in the corresponding section, before cutting the next section.

In known manner, the cutting grid can be fixed, while said bearing face is constituted by the front face of a carriage which can be driven in a reciprocating movement.

According to the invention, on the carriage is mounted a slide provided with a plurality of cookie cutters passing through as many lights provided in said bearing face. The device according to the invention can be provided with means making it possible to jointly actuate the carriage and the slide. These means can actuate the slide first, so that the potato is pierced by the plurality of cookie cutters before being pressed against the grid, then the carriage, the potato sections then being pierced longitudinally. by cookie cutters. Thus, during the cutting of the potato sections, it is skewered by the cookie cutters and cannot escape from one side or the other.

However, it goes without saying that the common actuation means could actuate the carriage and the slide so that the slide is moved consecutively to the carriage.

In order to obtain automatic ejection of the potato cylinders cut from each section, the device comprises a set of ejection needles mounted fixed on the carriage, relative to said slide, each needle being capable of entering one of the cutters. room.

the figures of the accompanying drawing will make it clear how the invention can be implemented.

FIG. 1 is a principle view, in schematic longitudinal section, of a device according to the invention, corresponding to the line I-I in FIG. 2.

Figure 2 is a schematic view along the line II-II of Figure 1.

FIG. 3 shows the pieces of potato obtained by using the device in FIGS. 1 and 2.

the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a sliding surface 1 on which a carriage 2 can slide, guided by lateral rails 3 and 4. On the sliding surface 1 is mounted, at a fixed post, a cutting grid 5 In FIG. 2, the grid 5 is illustrated superimposed on the front face 6 of the carriage, directed towards the grid 5.

This front face 6 of the carriage 2 is pierced with a plurality of orifices 7, distributed in a square or rectangular network corresponding to the centers of different squares 8 delimited by the cutting blades of the grid 5.

Inside the carriage 2, a slide 9 is provided, of which a plurality of tubular elements 10 are integral, capable of forming a cookie cutter. Each of the cookie cutters 10 is parallel to the sliding surface 1 and enters one of the openings 7 on the face 6.

Furthermore, a plate 11, integral with the carriage 2 carries a plurality of needles 12, each of which is engaged in a cookie cutter 10. the slide 9 is integral with an operating rod 13 passing through the plate 11 by an opening 14.

The rod 13 can be moved back and forth in a direction parallel to the sliding surface 1, - by means of control means, such as cam, lever, etc ... ( not shown).

To cut potatoes into sections in the form of a fried, by means of the device according to the invention, such a potato 15 is placed on the sliding surface 1, between the grid 5 and the bearing face 6 of the carriage 2. Then, by actuation of the rod 13, the slide 9 is moved in the direction of the grid 5, so that the cookie cutters 10, passing through the openings 7 on the bearing face 6, pass through said potato 15 and are housed in the cells 8 of the grid 5. By continuing to actuate the rod 1-3 in the direction of the grid 5, the slide 9 comes to bear on the internal face of the bearing face 6, so that the carriage 2 is in turn driven towards the grid 5. Thus, the bearing face 6 pushes the potato 15 against the grid 5, so that the latter is cut into a plurality of sections 16 , the section of which corresponds to that of said cells 8; because of the cookie cutters 10, each of the sections 16 is pierced with a longitudinal hole 17, corresponding to a potato cylinder 18, which is trapped in each of the cookie cutters 10.
When the bearing face 6 comes into contact with the grid 5, the rod 13 is pulled in the quarry, so that the slider 9 moves inside the carriage 2, the needles 12 entering the punch 10 and ejecting the cylinders 18, which fall between the grid 5 and the bearing face 6. When, in its rear movement, the slider 9 reaches the plate II of the carriage 2, this carriage 2 is itself pulled back and the we return to the initial position shown in Figure 1. the device is then ready for cutting a new potato.

Note that due to the longitudinal hole 17, the cooking time of the fries is shorter, which saves energy, and, moreover, the fries are much more crisp.

the potato cylinders 18 can be fried at the same time as the sections 16 so as to form "matches".

Of course, in the figures the cookie cutters 10 have been drawn with a circular section, but, in order to obtain more usual matches 18, it would be possible to give the cookie cutters 10 a square or rectangular section.

Claims (6)

1.- Device for cutting potatoes (15) or the like into sections (16) in the form of French fries, characterized in that it comprises at least one cookie cutter (10) capable of piercing in each section (16) a hole (17) passing right through it -2.- Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the largest dimension of the internal section of the cookie cutter is of the order of 2 to 3 mm. 3.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a cutting grid (5) defining a plurality of adjacent cells (8) each provided with a cutting edge whose contour determines the section of said section (16), a face d support (6) for a potato (15) and means (14) for imparting a relative movement of approach or distance between the grid (5) and said support face (6), so that said grid ( 5) simultaneously cutting a plurality of sections (17) in said potato (15), characterized in that each of said cells (8) is associated with a tubular cookie cutter (10) capable of piercing in each section (16) a hole (1-7) passing through it right through.  4.- Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said cookie cutter (10) are centered with respect to said cells (8). 5.- Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, with each cookie cutter (10), is associated a needle (12) capable of ejecting the potato cylinder (18) cut by said cookie cutter in the corresponding section (16), before cutting the next section. 6.- Device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said cutting grid (5) is fixed while said bearing face (6) is constituted by the front face dsun carriage (2) can be animated d 'A back-and-forth movement, characterized in that on said carriage (2) is mounted a slide (9) provided with a plurality of cookie cutters (10) pouring as many lights (7) provided in said support face (6). 7.- Device according to claim 6, characterized in this tool is provided with common means (i4) for actuating the carriage (2) and the slide (9) and in that these means first actuate the slide (9 ) and then the carriage (2) 8.- Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it is provided with common means making it possible to actuate the carriage and the slide and in that these means actuate the carriage first the slide. 9.- Device according to claim 6, characterized in that it comprises a set of ejection needles (12) fixedly mounted on the carriage (2) relative to said slide (9), each needle (12) being susceptible to enter one of said cookie cutters-  (10).