GB587690A - Improvements in the treatment of foodstuffs by cooking - Google Patents

Abstract

587,690. Cooking apparatus. SPOONER, W. W. Sept. 15, 1944, No. 17646. [Class 28 (i)] Foodstuffs such as sliced potatoes, doughnuts, or fish, are cooked on a reticular support or conveyer 26, immersed in cooking liquid 25, such as syrup, oil or molten fat, the cooking liquid being heated by streams of hot air or gases from nozzles 35 impinging on to the surface of the liquid. The heat applied to the liquid through which the foodstuff is passed continuously or intermittently is proportional to the heat taken up by the foodstuffs. In operation, the lid 18 of a closed cooking chamber 17 is hinged up and the food is placed on the higher first run 26 of the endless conveyer. A link 38 attached to the lid turns a ratchet wheel 41 counter-clockwise, so that a stop 42 allows a switch 31 to close the circuit to resistance heaters 44, and also starts up a fan 32 which pumps air through the heaters and the nozzles 35 on to the cooking liquid 25. When the liquid attains a sufficient temperature, a thermostatic switch 43 starts the electric motor 29 which starts moving the endlessconveyer 20-26. The motor 29 also turns slowly the friction disc 44, carrying the stop 42 counter-clockwise, so that when the food has travelled from '26 to the discharge chute 27, the stop 42 will break all circuits at the switch 31. If a further batch of food is placed on the higher run 26 of the conveyer, while a previous batch is still being cooked on the immersed run 26, the lifting of the lid 18 to insert the batch also turns the ratchet wheel so that the stop 42 is delayed in its action of opening the switch 31 to disconnect all the circuits. The machine therefore may operate continuously when food is being continuodsly placed on the higher run 26, or will only operate for such time as is necessary to cook an individual batch placed on the conveyer. The fan also withdraws the air in the chamber through an exhaust port 36. Cooked food arriving at the discharge chute 27 swings open the gravity closed door 28, to allow the food to proceed down the chute. The cooking liquid 25 may be additionally heated by steam coils or gas burners or by a further series of hot air nozzles under the liquid bath. Specification 587,691 is referred to.