US20020034573A1 - Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips - Google Patents
Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20020034573A1 US20020034573A1 US09/998,661 US99866101A US2002034573A1 US 20020034573 A1 US20020034573 A1 US 20020034573A1 US 99866101 A US99866101 A US 99866101A US 2002034573 A1 US2002034573 A1 US 2002034573A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- chips
- tortilla
- sheet
- chip preforms
- preforms
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23G—COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF
- A23G3/00—Sweetmeats; Confectionery; Marzipan; Coated or filled products
- A23G3/02—Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of sweetmeats or confectionery; Accessories therefor
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES A21D OR A23B-A23J; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OF NUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL
- A23L7/00—Cereal-derived products; Malt products; Preparation or treatment thereof
- A23L7/10—Cereal-derived products
- A23L7/117—Flakes or other shapes of ready-to-eat type; Semi-finished or partly-finished products therefor
- A23L7/13—Snacks or the like obtained by oil frying of a formed cereal dough
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
- A21C—MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH
- A21C11/00—Other machines for forming the dough into its final shape before cooking or baking
- A21C11/02—Embossing machines
- A21C11/04—Embossing machines with cutting and embossing rollers or drums
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
- A23P—SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS
- A23P30/00—Shaping or working of foodstuffs characterised by the process or apparatus
- A23P30/10—Moulding
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
- A47J—KITCHEN EQUIPMENT; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; APPARATUS FOR MAKING BEVERAGES
- A47J37/00—Baking; Roasting; Grilling; Frying
- A47J37/12—Deep fat fryers, e.g. for frying fish or chips
- A47J37/1214—Deep fat fryers, e.g. for frying fish or chips the food being transported through an oil-bath
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A21—BAKING; EDIBLE DOUGHS
- A21D—TREATMENT, e.g. PRESERVATION, OF FLOUR OR DOUGH, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS; PRESERVATION THEREOF
- A21D13/00—Finished or partly finished bakery products
- A21D13/40—Products characterised by the type, form or use
- A21D13/42—Tortillas
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Nutrition Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
- Confectionery (AREA)
- Preparation Of Fruits And Vegetables (AREA)
- General Preparation And Processing Of Foods (AREA)
- Bakery Products And Manufacturing Methods Therefor (AREA)
Abstract
An apparatus and method for making uniformly shaped snack food chips which can be stacked for packaging, e.g., in a cylindrical canister or a canister which conforms to the contour or perimeter of the snack food chips. The apparatus features two-part mold cavities in which chip preforms are restrained and transported through hot oil to be cooked. Preferably, the mold cavities are defined between a pair of rotating belts, one lower belt and one upper belt, which together “encase” or “sandwich” and thereby restrain the chips. According to the method, a continuous sheet of dough is toasted and then proofed before being cut into individual chip preforms. The preforms are then placed into the mold cavities and transported through hot oil to be cooked. Vacuum transfer rollers are used to facilitate placement of the chip preforms into the mold cavities and extraction of the cooked chips from the mold cavities.
Description
- The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for making snack food chips. More particularly, the invention relates in one aspect to an apparatus and method for making curved corn-based or other snack food chips which can be packaged neatly and compactly in a stacked arrangement, e.g., in a canister or other sleeve-type container which preferably conforms generally to the contour or perimeter of the snack food chips; and in another aspect the invention relates to an apparatus and method for making ridged or sinusoidally wavy snack food chips.
- In general, snack food chips of various varieties possess characteristic shapes. For example, tortilla chips are one of the more popular types of snack food products and have come to be associated with having a triangular shape. Additionally, snack food chips which are used for dipping, e.g., potato chips, tortilla chips, or corn chips, preferably are curved to enhance the scooping ability of the chip as well as to add strength to the chip. Alternatively, chip strength may be enhanced by making the snack food chips ridged or sinusoidally wavy.
- With respect to packaging, a stacked arrangement of snack food chips, e.g., in a cylindrical canister, has been found to be popular for a number of reasons. Such canisters purportedly offer some degree of protection against breakage of the snack food product and, due to the compact nature of the stacked arrangement of the chips, they provide greater transportability of the snack food products, both in terms of bulk transport (i.e., large cartons of the canisters being shipped, e.g., from the manufacturer to the retailer) as well as the individual consumer being able to transport a single package of chips (e.g., in a purse or in a picnic basket). Additionally, the extended shelf life of a sealed canister of snack food chips as compared to a bag (commonly pillow-shaped and frequently sealed with a generally inert gas to prevent product degradation), as well as the ability to reseal a canister with a snap-fit-type lid once the canister has been opened, makes a canister an attractive packaging option.
- In the past, however, it has not been feasible to package a uniform stack of snack food chips such as tortilla chips in such canisters. This is because the conventional method of making snacks like tortilla chips has been simply to fry a large quantity of tortilla chips unconstrained in a fryer of cooking oil, with paddles or other means used to submerge the chips for thorough cooking and to move the chips through the oil. The chips are removed continuously from the oil in a random and non-uniform configuration. In an unconstrained environment, the chips can take on uncontrolled variations in shape, such as by folding over on themselves or partially bending. In addition, the lack of control over individual chips as they exit the fryer made it essentially impossible to package snack food chips such as tortilla chips, as previously and commonly made, in a stacked configuration such as in a canister or other sleeve-type container.
- Additionally, in the past it has been difficult to impart “large-scale” or “macroscopic” texture to tortilla chips, e.g., by making them wavy. (In this context, “large-scale” or “macroscopic” texture refers to the texture or shape of the chip overall and is in contrast to “surface-level” texture which may be provided, e.g., by blistering of the surface of the chips.) This difficulty was due primarily to the tacky nature of the corn dough or masa from which tortilla chips traditionally are made.
- The present invention provides apparatus and methodologies for making snack food chips such as corn chips—tortilla chips in particular and curved tortilla chips even more particularly—which can be packaged in a stacked configuration in a canister or other sleeve-type container which preferably conforms generally to the contour or perimeter of the snack food chips. In particular, the invention features a fryer apparatus which cooks the tortilla chips by transporting them through a fryer of cooking oil while constrained within continuous, preferably two-piece semi-closed molds. Preferably, the apparatus includes a pair of belts which mate to define the molds, one belt consisting of links which define concave, lower mold cavities and the other belt consisting of links which form convex retaining protuberances which restrain the tortilla chips in the mold cavities. A die-cutting vacuum transfer wheel is used to cut tortilla chip preforms (uncooked tortilla chips) from a continuous, toasted, proofed sheet of corn masa and place the preforms into the mold cavities in the lower belt assembly. A vacuum transfer wheel is also provided downstream, at the exit end of the fryer apparatus, to transfer the now-cooked tortilla chips from the mold cavities to a take-away conveyor which transports the tortilla chips to be seasoned, if desired, and ultimately to a packaging station—doing so in a manner which maintains the regular orientation of the chips that is necessary to be able to stack them for packaging.
- In other aspects, the invention features methodologies which enable form-frying of tortilla chips in semi-closed, constrained molds in regular order so as to produce uniformly shaped chips that can be stacked for packaging. Thus, in one methodological aspect, the invention features placing tortilla chip preforms into a first mold section; constraining the tortilla chip preforms in the first mold section by enclosing them in the mold using a mating second mold section and immersing the tortilla chip preforms in hot oil to cook them. The tortilla chip preforms are loaded into the molds in a regular or uniform arrangement, and they are removed from the molds and processed subsequent to their being fried while maintaining the regular or uniform arrangement. This permits them to be stacked for packaging. Preferably, the tortilla chips are transported through the hot oil, e.g., by means of a belt configuration. This permits the tortilla chips to be cooked on a continuous basis instead of on a batch basis (which also is deemed to be within the scope of the invention).
- In another methodological aspect, the invention features a departure from conventional pre-processing of tortilla chips, in which conventional pre-processing corn masa is first cut into the raw tortilla chip preforms which are then toasted and proofed to bring the moisture content of the preforms to a required level before they are cooked in oil. According to this aspect of the invention, the corn masa is sheeted then toasted and proofed before being cut into the individual tortilla chip preforms and cooked, e.g., in enclosed molds. This order of the process steps is used in particular when the tortilla chips are to be packaged in a uniform, stacked arrangement because it was found that uniform orientation of the tortilla chip preforms—which is necessary in order to be able to transfer the tortilla chip preforms repeatedly and reliably into the molds and then subsequently to be able to stack and package the cooked chips—could not be maintained if the tortilla chip preforms were cut from the relatively sticky or tacky corn masa sheet before being toasted and proofed. Thus, to a relatively large extent, toasting and proofing the corn masa sheet before die-cutting the tortilla chip preforms is the step which enables stackable tortilla chips to be manufactured efficiently and on a commercially viable scale.
- Additionally, toasting and proofing the sheet of masa makes it feasible to provide, on a commercially viable scale, “macroscopic” texture to the tortilla chips, e.g., by passing the sheet of masa through one or more corrugated rollers, check rollers, embossing rollers, waffle cut rollers, or other forming step after it has been toasted and proofed and before it is die-cut to produce the chip preforms. Again, it is the reduction in stickiness or tackiness occasioned by toasting and proofing that renders this processing step commercially feasible. When so shaping the chip preforms, it may be desirable to forego the subsequent molding of the chip preforms (by, for example, frying them in mold cavities as described above); in that case, the chip preforms could be baked or fried unrestrained, in a manner as is known in the art.
- The invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with the drawings, in which:
- FIG. 1 is diagrammatic, side elevation view depicting tortilla chip-making apparatus according to the invention;
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the lower, mold cavity conveyor assembly in the circled region labeled2 in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, face-on view showing the end portion of the links of the lower and upper belt assemblies shown in FIG. 1 making mating engagement;
- FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic section view along the lines4-4 in FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic, face-on view similar to FIG. 3 and illustrating construction of the lower and upper belt assemblies on a commercial production scale;
- FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic, side elevation view depicting the upstream, die-cutting vacuum transfer assembly shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the die-cutting ring of FIG. 6 in “unrolled” or “unwrapped” fashion;
- FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic, side elevation view illustrating the downstream vacuum transfer assembly shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic, side elevation view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing an alternate embodiment of the invention;
- FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective views illustrating alternative lower, mold cavity conveyor assemblies used to produce chips according to the invention with alternative large-scale curvature configurations; and
- FIGS. 12a-12 c are cross-sectional views illustrating cooked snack food chips packaged in canisters which conform generally to the contours or perimeters of the chips.
- An
installation 10 for making stackable tortilla chips according to the invention is shown in FIG. 1. In general, the installation has two major sub-installations: pre-processingapparatus 12 and the tortillachip frying apparatus 14. - The
pre-processing apparatus 12 includessheeting apparatus 16, toastingoven 18,proofing oven 20, andconveyor apparatus sheeting apparatus 16 may be conventional, or it may be configured to produce whole sheets of masa using an ultrasonic scraper to separate the sheet from the rollers, as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/418,495, filed Oct. 15, 1999 and entitled “Ultrasonic Full-Width Sheeter.” Thetoasting oven 18, proofingoven 20, andconveyor apparatus transfer assembly 24 is located between thepre-processing apparatus 12 and thefryer apparatus 14. - The primary components of the tortilla
chip frying apparatus 14 include a lower, moldcavity belt assembly 26; a cooperating or mating upper, moldplate belt assembly 28; and anoil pan assembly 30, all housed withinhousing 32. Adownstream transfer assembly 34 transfers the cooked tortilla chips from the mold cavities of thelower belt assembly 26 to a take-away conveyor 36, which transports the tortilla chips downstream for post-processing (which includes light re-oiling and seasoning, if desired) and subsequent packaging. (Apparatus which may be used to package tortilla chips produced using the apparatus and methods of the present invention is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/326,682, filed Jun. 7, 1999 and entitled “Apparatus and Method for Stacking Tortilla Chips.”) - The construction of the lower and
upper belt assemblies cavity belt assembly 26 at the point where the belt assembly begins to drop down into hot oil contained within theoil pan 30, the lower, mold cavity belt assembly is composed of a number of transversely extending mold cavity “links” 40 which are connected together to form thecontinuous belt 26. The mold cavities 42 are formed as continuous, longitudinally extending (in terms of the running direction of the belt assembly, indicated by arrow 46), trough-shaped depressions. The mold cavities 42 are curved about longitudinally extendingaxes 44 but, locally, are relatively straight or non-curved in the longitudinal direction. In other words, the only longitudinal curvature is attributable to the belt flexing, and that curvature is essentially absent over the length of the portion of the belt disposed within the oil pan.) - The
links 40 of thebelt assembly 26 are each constructed with a number of individualmold cavity elements 47. The mold cavity elements are formed from perforated, preferably electro-polished stainless steel (to prevent the masa from sticking), on the order of 0.25 inch (6.35 mm) thick, that is bent into a “lazy M” configuration, and the mold cavity elements are fastened together in side-by-side fashion as shown more clearly in FIG. 3. The perforations should be large enough to allow hot oil to reach the product to cook it and for steam to escape. - FIG. 3 also illustrates the construction of the upper, mold
plate belt assembly 28, which mates with the lower, moldcavity belt assembly 26. Themold plate assembly 28 is also comprised of a series oflinks 50 which are connected together to form thecontinuous belt 28. Similar to thelinks 40, thelinks 50 are constructed from convex, arch-shapedmold plate elements 52, which are fastened together in side-by-side fashion by theparallel leg portions 54 thereof. Like themold cavity elements 47, the arch-shapedmold plate elements 52 preferably are fabricated from perforated, electro-polished stainless steel on the order of 0.25 inch (6.35 mm) thick. - The mold cavity element-supporting structure of each of the
links 40 is fabricated from sheet metal such as stainless steel. It is formed so as to have a flat, transversely extendingsupport member 60 withslots 64 therein through which thelegs 48 of the mold cavity elements extend, with the elements being secured thereto by appropriate retaining means 68, and downturned front andrear flanges 69, 71 (hidden in FIG. 3). Thesupport member 60 extends laterally to the very end of the link assembly, beyond theflanges brackets 72 are attached to the lateral ends of thesupport member 60 and havebearing assemblies 76 which support and guide the lower belt assembly in appropriately configured tracks installed within the housing 32 (not shown). - The
links 50 of the upper, moldplate belt assembly 28 have a two-part configuration which allows the arch-shapedmold plate elements 52 to “float” somewhat relative to the mold cavity elements as the belts merge together. As shown in greater detail in FIG. 4, thelinks 50 each include a stainless steelupper bracket member 70 and a stainless steel lower, mold plate element-support bracket member 62 which fits within theflanges 73 of theupper bracket member 70. (The amount of space between theupturned flanges 63 of the lower, mold plate element-supportingbracket member 62 is slightly exaggerated for clarity purposes. The clearance should be large enough to permit a slight amount of rotation of thelower bracket member 62 relative to theupper bracket member 70, about an axis extending transversely to the belt direction, but should be small enough to prevent significant fore-and-aft shifting of thelower bracket member 62 relative to theupper bracket member 70.) The lower, mold plate-supportingbracket 62 is supported bypins 65 which are secured to theupturned flanges 63 and which slide vertically withinslots 67 formed within the down-turnedflanges 73 of theupper bracket member 70. - Similar to the configuration of the
lower links 40, the cross-member 75 between theflanges 73 extends laterally beyond the ends of the flanges, and mountingbrackets 74 are attached thereto. The mountingbrackets 74 havebearing assemblies 78, which support and guide the upper belt assembly in appropriately configured tracks within the housing 32 (not shown). - As described in more detail below, and as is shown in FIG. 1, the construction and arrangement of the lower and upper mold element belt assemblies is such that the
links 50 of the upper, mold plate belt assembly merge with thelinks 40 of the lower, mold cavity belt assembly as the two belt assemblies rotate. Together, themold cavity elements 47 and themold plate elements 52 define a small, longitudinally extendingspace 80 between them (FIG. 3), and the tortilla chip preforms are restrained within thesespaces 80. In other words, thespaces 80 form longitudinally continuous, semi-closed mold cavities that maintain the tortilla chip preforms in uniform arrangement as they are cooked in the hot oil (which is critical to being able to stack them subsequently for packaging). - To ensure proper positioning of the mold elements relative to each other, both in terms of their distance apart from each other and in terms of their relative lateral positioning, a
male centering pin 82 is provided on one of the link members and a female centeringtrough 84, which cooperates with the centeringpin 82, is provided on the other of the link members. Proper vertical and lateral positioning of the mold elements is important because having them too close together prevents the masa from expanding as it cooks and can mash the masa into the perforations in the mold elements, thereby preventing subsequent removal of the tortilla chips from the mold assembly; and having them too far apart will allow the tortilla chips to move around within the mold cavities defined by thegap 80, resulting in loss of process control. - Although FIG. 2 depicts (schematically) just four
mold cavity elements 47 across the width of thebelt assembly 26, it will be appreciated that for operation on a commercial scale, thelink assemblies link pins 82 and centeringtroughs 84 as well as a pair of guide pins 65 andslots 67 for each paired subassembly. This permits the mold plate elements of each subassembly to find their proper positioning more easily than would be the case if all the mold elements on a givenlink member 40 or 50 (e.g., all twenty, as shown in FIG. 4) were linked together such that all twenty would have to move up and down or side-to-side together. - Furthermore, in terms of the apparatus of the invention, details of the
upstream transfer assembly 24 and thedownstream transfer assembly 34 are illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, theupstream transfer assembly 24 is configured to cut the corn masa sheet into individual tortilla chip preforms and to deposit the preforms into the mold cavities of the lower, moldcavity belt assembly 26. To this end, theupstream transfer assembly 24 includes ananvil roller 110 and a die-cutting,vacuum transfer roller 112. The transfer roller has a die-cuttingouter ring 114 which is mounted on asupport ring 116, which support ring rotates around a central vacuum/pressure drum 118. The support ring is perforated or ducted to permit suction/over-pressurization forces to act through it. - The die-cutting
outer ring 114 is constructed with a cutting pattern as shown in FIG. 7. (A few rows of perforations/ducts 119 in thesupport ring 116 are also shown in FIG. 7; it will be appreciated that the perforations/ducts 119 are present around the entire circumference of thesupport ring 116.) As a result of this pattern, the die-cuttingouter ring 114 cuts the masa sheet into tortilla chip preforms which will be deposited into the channel shaped mold cavities of the lower belt assembly in alternating fashion, as illustrated in FIG. 2. In other words, if the chip preforms are deemed to be curved about thelongitudinal axes 44 of the mold cavities, and theedges 122 of the preforms that extend parallel to the longitudinal axes are deemed to be the base edges B and the opposing, upturned comers of the tortilla chip preforms are deemed to be the apex corners A, the tortilla chip preforms will be arranged with the base edges B and the apex corners A of successive chips arranged left-right-left-right and right-left-right-left, respectively. - The central vacuum/
pressure drum 118 is constructed with internal chambers and/or manifolds such that constant suction is drawn withinregion 120, and constant over-pressure is created withinregion 122. As the die-cutting ring rotates while making bearing contact againstanvil roller 110, the die-cutting ring cuts a sheet of masa into the individual tortilla chip preforms. The preforms adhere to theassembly 112 by suction, as indicated by the inwardly pointing arrows in thevacuum chamber 120. As the die-cutting ring 114 continues to rotate and the tortilla chip preforms pass byover-pressure region 122, they are blown (or “air-peeled”) off of thevacuum transfer roller 112 and down into the mold cavities of thebelt assembly 126, in the alternating arrangement shown in FIG. 2. - Finally, with respect to the
upstream transfer assembly 24, adoctor blade 126 is provided to lift the masa sheet from theconveyor apparatus 23 and help guide it onto theanvil roller 110 for die-cutting. - The
downstream transfer assembly 34 is illustrated in FIG. 8. Thetransfer assembly 34 includes a pick-off ring 130 which rotates about stationary vacuum/pressure drum 132. The pick-off ring 130 has pick-offpads 134 distributed around its circumference to lift cooked tortilla chips out of the mold cavities at the downstream end of thebelt assembly 26, as at 136 (see FIG. 1). The pick-offpads 134 are perforated and made out of material such as silicone, and are supported on the pick-off ring 130 by pad stands 138, which have air passageways passing through them. Like the vacuum/pressure drum 118, the vacuum/pressure drum 132 has internal manifolds and/or chambers which create constant under-pressure insuction region 140 and constant over-pressure inregion 142, which causes the cooked tortilla chips to be suctioned against the pick-offpads 134 and then released down onto the take-awayseasoning conveyor 36. - The
transfer wheel assembly 34 may be supported bypivot strut 136, which is attached to the housing 32 (see FIG. 1). The pivot attachment permits the roller to be swung away from the hot fryer belt when the system is not in operation. - The apparatus described above operates as follows. Cooked and soaked corn is fed into the
sheeting apparatus 16. The corn is wet-milled by the apparatus to form a sheet of masa which, for commercial production intended to produce on the order of three thousand pounds of tortilla chips per hour, is on the order of five feet wide. The masa sheet is deposited ontoconveyor apparatus 22, which is fabricated from metal mesh (i.e., the belt is made from “breathable” material). The masa sheet, transported by theconveyor apparatus 22, makes a single pass through toastingoven 18, which has infrared burners above the sheet of masa and open flame burners below the belt. The length of the toasting oven is set so that the masa sheet passes through the toasting oven in approximately twenty seconds, and the burners are controlled such that the temperature inside the oven is on the order of 600° F. The masa residence time and oven temperature essentially are sufficient to “crust over” the masa, i.e., to sear the outside while leaving the interior with a substantial amount of moisture. (This internal moisture will cause the chips to blister when they are fried, which gives the chips a preferred texture.) - Once it exits the toasting
oven 18, the masa sheet transitions toconveyor apparatus 23 and enters proofingoven 20. Theconveyor apparatus 23 may be made from a plastic mesh material. The proofingoven 20 is maintained at on the order of 200° F., with a relative humidity of approximately 80% maintained by steam injection. The length of the proofing oven is set to achieve a twenty to thirty second dwell time of the masa. This allows the moisture content to equilibrate throughout the sheet of masa, which makes the masa more pliable and facilitates subsequent handling of the tortilla chip preforms when they are cut from the masa sheet, but without making them so pliable as to be unworkable. The masa sheet enters the toastingoven 18 at a moisture content on the order of 50% by weight, and exits the toasting oven and enters the proofing oven at approximately 35% moisture by weight; the moisture content of the masa sheet remains essentially the same as it travels through the proofing oven, but the moisture content and distribution essentially equilibrate, as noted above. (The overall system is designed to deliver a desired level of product through-put, which will determine the frier apparatus dimensions and operating speed; the line speed of the frier apparatus dictates the line speed of theconveyor apparatus 22 and 23 (so as to match belt speeds), which therefore dictates toasting and proofing oven lengths to achieve the desired masa dwell times.) - Once the sheet of masa exits the proofing
oven 20, it is removed from theconveyor apparatus 23 and guided onto the anvil roller 110 (FIG. 6) bydoctor blade 126. As the sheet of masa enters the nip formed between theanvil roller 110 and the die-cuttingtransfer roller 112, the sheet of masa is cut into the individual tortilla chip preforms 121, which are deposited into the mold cavities provided by themold cavity elements 47, as shown in FIG. 2. - (Although the above-described processing sequence is preferred for the reasons explained in the Summary of the Invention, there may be instances in which it is desirable to die-cut the masa sheet before toasting and proofing the preforms. In such instances, the speed of processing should be reduced sufficiently to permit a system operator to ensure that proper orientation of the chip preforms is maintained to facilitate subsequent stacking and packaging of the cooked chips.)
- The
belt assembly 26 transports the tortilla chip preforms 121 in the direction indicated by arrow 46 (FIG. 2). At approximately the portion of the assembly which is circled in FIG. 1 and shown in greater detail in FIG. 2, thebelt assembly 26 passes over theupper edge 160 of theoil pan assembly 30 and down into a pool of hot oil which is contained within theoil pan assembly 30. (Hot oil is continuously pumped into and out of the oil pan assembly via inlet andoutlet links 50 of the upper mold plate belt assembly come down into engagement with thelinks 40 of thelower belt assembly 26 to confine the tortilla chip preforms within thegap 80 formed therebetween. The lower and upper mold belt assemblies rotate at the same speed and transport the tortilla chip preforms through the hot oil contained within theoil pan 30. The oil is maintained at a temperature on the order of 350° F., and the tortilla chips are maintained within the hot oil for on the order of thirty-five to forty seconds so as to achieve a moisture content of approximately 1.5% by weight and an oil content of approximately 30% by weight. - As the now-cooked tortilla chips ramp up out of the oil pan at the opposite, downstream end thereof, oil will drain from the chips and the mold cavities will open as the
links 50 of the upper, moldplate belt assembly 28 rotate away from thelinks 40 of the lower, moldcavity belt assembly 26, e.g., as at 168. Preferably, the chips are sprayed from below by a high-pressure spray of oil or even just a burst of high-pressure air at 170. This helps ensure subsequent separation from and removal of the cooked tortilla chips from thecavity elements 47. - The
downstream transfer assembly 34 picks up the tortilla chips at the downstream end of theconveyor 26 by sucking them up against thetransfer pads 134, and then deposits them by slight blowing onto take-awayseasoning conveyor 36 to be seasoned and then packaged. It will be appreciated that the tortilla chips are placed onto the take-awayconveyor 36 in substantially the same orientation shown in FIG. 2, i.e., arranged with their axes of curvature essentially aligned and with their base edges and apex corners arranged in alternating fashion. This uniform orientation is critical for the subsequent stacking and packaging operations. - Finally, as noted above in the Summary of the Invention and as illustrated in FIG. 9 (in which the same reference numerals are used to describe components that are the same as described above), toasting and proofing the entire sheet of masa before die-cutting it facilitates imparting “macroscopic” texture to the chips (e.g., by making them ridged or sinusoidally wavy or even “waffle cut”) by passing the toasted and proofed sheet of masa through one or more contoured or
corrugated shaping rollers 200 or sets thereof. The shaped sheet of masa would then be die-cut using die-cuttingrollers 202. In this embodiment of the invention, the shape imparted to the chips by passing the masa sheet through the shaping rollers may be all the shape that is desired to be imparted to the chips. In that case, the subsequent step of placing the die-cut chip preforms into molds, which imparts other shape characteristics to the chips, may be foregone; the chips would then be cooked to a desired final state by unrestrained frying, baking or other conventional means which will be known to those having skill in the art. - Although the invention has been described in detail above, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications to and departures from the illustrative embodiments will occur to those having skill in the art. For example, whereas the tortilla chips are described above as being curved about an axis extending parallel to one of the edges of the chip, they alternatively may be curved about an axis extending from one corner of the chip to the opposite edge of the chip (i.e., a bisector of the chip). Tortilla chips with such a curvature configuration could be made by shaping the chip preforms on hump-shaped, perforated mold surfaces and restraining the chip preforms with mating concave mold cavities (not shown), as illustrated in FIG. 10. Alternatively, the chip preforms could be given large-scale waviness by shaping them on sinusoidally wavy mold elements, as illustrated in FIG. 11.
- Moreover, the apparatus and method may be practiced using corn meal rather than corn masa to produce tortilla chips having different taste characteristics. The process parameters (toasting time and temperature, proofing time and temperature, and cooking time and temperature) would have to be adjusted accordingly. Additionally, chips other than tortilla chips can be made using the invention, which alternative chips may be triangular or have other shapes such as ovals, squares, rectangles, other polygons, etc. Moreover, it is preferable that the shape of the canister in which the chips are packaged conform generally to the contour or perimeter of the chips, as illustrated in FIGS. 12a-12 c. For example, cooked
tortilla chips 221 would be packaged in generallytriangular canisters 321; cooked fabricatedpotato crisps 221′ (which customarily are oval or elliptical) would be packaged in oval orelliptical canisters 321′; cooked hexagonalsnack food chips 321″ would be packaged inhexagonal canisters 321″; etc. These and other modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the following claims.
Claims (3)
1. A method of making triangular tortilla chips in a manner which facilitates subsequent packaging in a stacked arrangement, said method comprising:
cutting triangular tortilla chip preforms from a sheet of masa;
enclosing the tortilla chip preforms in molds with a consistent orientation;
restraining the tortilla chip preforms within said molds while cooking the tortilla chip preforms in a cooking medium, thereby substantially maintaining the orientation of the tortilla chip preforms while they are being cooked; and then
removing cooked tortilla chips from said molds while substantially maintaining the orientation of the tortilla chip preforms;
wherein said consistent orientation comprises an alternating pattern of tortilla chip preforms with base edges and apex comers of successive tortilla chip preforms within the molds alternating orientation, whereby said tortilla chip preforms can be placed relatively compactly and close together within said molds so as to minimize space therebetween.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising packaging said cooked tortilla chips in a generally triangular canister.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sheet of masa is formed by:
forming a sheet of snack food dough;
toasting the sheet of snack food dough to achieve a desired moisture content;
proofing the sheet of snack food dough such that the moisture content thereof equilibrates; and
imparting a desired texture to said sheet of snack food dough by passing said sheet of snack food dough through a shaping roller assembly.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/998,661 US20020034573A1 (en) | 2000-02-07 | 2001-12-03 | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US49904200A | 2000-02-07 | 2000-02-07 | |
US09/998,661 US20020034573A1 (en) | 2000-02-07 | 2001-12-03 | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US49904200A Division | 2000-02-07 | 2000-02-07 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20020034573A1 true US20020034573A1 (en) | 2002-03-21 |
Family
ID=23983573
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/998,661 Abandoned US20020034573A1 (en) | 2000-02-07 | 2001-12-03 | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips |
US09/998,663 Expired - Fee Related US6412397B1 (en) | 2000-02-07 | 2001-12-03 | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips |
Family Applications After (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/998,663 Expired - Fee Related US6412397B1 (en) | 2000-02-07 | 2001-12-03 | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips |
Country Status (10)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US20020034573A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4368084B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100733902B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1166307C (en) |
AU (2) | AU2001236707B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR0108156A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2399455C (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA02007572A (en) |
TW (1) | TW504369B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2001056392A1 (en) |
Cited By (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20060177552A1 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2006-08-10 | Baylor Darin J | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
US20060182856A1 (en) * | 2005-02-11 | 2006-08-17 | Mars, Incorporated | Method and apparatus for vacuum forming contoured edible pieces |
US20070166422A1 (en) * | 2004-05-12 | 2007-07-19 | Trevor Fortes | Device for rounding of dough pieces |
US20110135794A1 (en) * | 2009-12-08 | 2011-06-09 | Norbert Gimmler | Process for producing precisely shaped grain based products |
US20130036919A1 (en) * | 2005-01-24 | 2013-02-14 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Method for controlling bulk density of fried snack pieces |
US20130108766A1 (en) * | 2011-10-31 | 2013-05-02 | Nancy Ann Taylor | Grit chips |
CN104542764A (en) * | 2014-12-09 | 2015-04-29 | 宿州国恩食品机械有限公司 | Multi-channel fried bread stick maker |
WO2015165958A3 (en) * | 2014-04-29 | 2015-12-23 | Frito-Lay Trading Company Gmbh | Snack food chips |
GB2552820A (en) * | 2016-08-11 | 2018-02-14 | Frito Lay Trading Co Gmbh | Handling snack food chips |
US20180368435A1 (en) * | 2015-11-11 | 2018-12-27 | Kmb Produktions Ag | Device for producing consumable products |
US10214367B2 (en) | 2016-06-03 | 2019-02-26 | Gruma S.A.B. De C.V. | Rotating stacker |
US20230189856A1 (en) * | 2019-05-23 | 2023-06-22 | Veritas Food Company LLC | Systems and methods for cutting and cooking a substance |
Families Citing this family (35)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB9901153D0 (en) * | 1999-01-19 | 1999-03-10 | Quaker Oats Co | Manufacture of granola and snack-food products |
MXPA02011052A (en) * | 2000-05-08 | 2003-03-10 | Procter & Gamble | Snack chip having improved dip containment and a grip region. |
MXPA02011044A (en) * | 2000-05-08 | 2003-03-10 | Procter & Gamble | An ergonomic snack piece having improved dip containment. |
CA2405833A1 (en) * | 2000-05-08 | 2001-11-15 | Charles Michael Garrison | Snack piece design having increased packed density |
US6610344B2 (en) * | 2001-10-09 | 2003-08-26 | Recot, Inc. | Process for making a shaped snack chip |
US6592923B2 (en) | 2001-10-09 | 2003-07-15 | Recot, Inc. | System and method for molding a snack chip |
AU2002951675A0 (en) * | 2001-11-19 | 2002-10-10 | Marek Szymanski | Automated belt cooking machine for pancakes or the like |
US7207263B2 (en) * | 2003-01-21 | 2007-04-24 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Single mold form fryer with product centering elements |
US7798058B2 (en) * | 2003-01-21 | 2010-09-21 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Fryer atmosphere control for mold form fryer |
US6875458B2 (en) * | 2003-01-21 | 2005-04-05 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Single mold form fryer with enhanced product control |
US6955255B2 (en) * | 2003-10-14 | 2005-10-18 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Rotary powered snack piece turnover |
US20050220945A1 (en) * | 2004-03-30 | 2005-10-06 | Romaniuk Charles C | Shaped Chip-Type Snack |
US20050220954A1 (en) * | 2004-03-30 | 2005-10-06 | Dayley Kyle E | Process and system for making shaped snack products |
US7771765B2 (en) * | 2004-08-09 | 2010-08-10 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Treated surfaces for high speed dough processing |
US8017166B2 (en) | 2004-11-01 | 2011-09-13 | Steven Amory Twitty | Method of producing stackable low-fat snack chips |
KR100740991B1 (en) | 2006-01-17 | 2007-07-20 | 강성길 | Manufacturing apparatus for korean cookie |
EP2249664A4 (en) * | 2008-01-29 | 2011-04-20 | Potato Magic Australia Pty Ltd | Method of making a baked snack base product and the snack base product produced thereby |
US20100047425A1 (en) * | 2008-08-19 | 2010-02-25 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Scoop Cutter and Method for Producing Shaped Food Products |
EP2560495B1 (en) | 2010-04-23 | 2014-09-10 | GEA Food Solutions Bakel B.V. | 3d-food product forming apparatus and process |
GB2497289B (en) * | 2011-12-05 | 2013-12-18 | Haim Shelemey | Food cooking |
CN103349035B (en) * | 2013-06-27 | 2015-09-09 | 薛韶烨 | A kind of automatic machine for deep-fried twisted dough sticks |
US20140272050A1 (en) * | 2014-04-15 | 2014-09-18 | Haim Shelemey | Food cooking |
US11246318B1 (en) * | 2014-11-25 | 2022-02-15 | Zee Company | Submersion conveyor system and methods thereof |
KR101774097B1 (en) * | 2015-02-16 | 2017-09-01 | 씨제이제일제당 (주) | Apparatus for processing food products and food manufacturing method using the same |
CN104585262A (en) * | 2015-02-26 | 2015-05-06 | 李建国 | Full-automatic fried bread stick former |
KR101733857B1 (en) * | 2015-03-16 | 2017-05-08 | 씨제이제일제당 (주) | A steaming system for food processing |
US10052738B2 (en) * | 2015-05-18 | 2018-08-21 | United Technologies Corporation | Internal surface finishing apparatus and method |
ITUB20155702A1 (en) * | 2015-11-18 | 2017-05-18 | Erika Vandi | PROCEDURE FOR REALIZING A SNACK FOOD PRODUCT. |
JP6737651B2 (en) * | 2016-07-12 | 2020-08-12 | 日清食品ホールディングス株式会社 | Molding method for fried mixture |
CN107683871B (en) * | 2017-10-17 | 2019-07-12 | 广东裕生食品工业有限公司 | A kind of deep frying them machine |
CN108244201A (en) * | 2018-02-13 | 2018-07-06 | 山西海玉园食品有限公司 | A kind of stone stone cake production method |
CN108633938A (en) * | 2018-06-01 | 2018-10-12 | 山西海玉园食品有限公司 | Stone stone cake production line |
CN108633937A (en) * | 2018-06-01 | 2018-10-12 | 山西海玉园食品有限公司 | Stone stone cake production line |
KR101929717B1 (en) | 2018-07-19 | 2019-03-12 | (주) 삼아인터내셔날 | Wafer manufacturing device |
US11844456B1 (en) * | 2019-10-11 | 2023-12-19 | Omar Associates, Llc | Formed product grill |
Citations (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3498798A (en) * | 1966-07-29 | 1970-03-03 | Procter & Gamble | Packaging of chip-type snack food products |
US3520248A (en) * | 1968-09-30 | 1970-07-14 | Procter & Gamble | Chip frying machine |
US3852485A (en) * | 1971-07-06 | 1974-12-03 | Gen Mills Inc | Package for uniformly shaped chip type snack food products |
US3905285A (en) * | 1973-04-27 | 1975-09-16 | Gen Mills Inc | Snack fryer |
US3911805A (en) * | 1974-12-24 | 1975-10-14 | Procter & Gamble | Apparatus for cutting, shaping and transferring flexible preforms |
US3930049A (en) * | 1972-12-08 | 1975-12-30 | S & W Fine Foods Inc | Process for preparing a shelf-stable, flexible tortilla |
US4052838A (en) * | 1976-05-04 | 1977-10-11 | Frito-Lay, Inc. | Apparatus for packaging nested, uniformly shaped articles |
US4122198A (en) * | 1976-03-16 | 1978-10-24 | Frito-Lay, Inc. | Process for preparing a cooked dough product |
US4650687A (en) * | 1985-02-12 | 1987-03-17 | Miles J. Willard | Float-frying and dockering methods for controlling the shape and preventing distortion of single and multi-layer snack products |
US4844919A (en) * | 1987-07-13 | 1989-07-04 | Nabisco Brands, Inc. | Concave shaped snack food and process for preparing same |
US4985269A (en) * | 1990-06-12 | 1991-01-15 | Borden, Inc. | Continuous extrusion for tortilla chip production |
US5298274A (en) * | 1992-04-10 | 1994-03-29 | Khalsa Nirbhao S | Methods for making tortilla chips and tortilla chips produced thereby |
US5529799A (en) * | 1992-06-24 | 1996-06-25 | General Mills, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for recouping scrap dough material |
US6004612A (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 1999-12-21 | Nabisco Technology Company | Production of shredded snacks with chip-like appearance and texture |
Family Cites Families (50)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2144720A (en) * | 1936-06-01 | 1939-01-24 | Gibson Made Products Inc | Process for producing pastries and the like |
US2286644A (en) | 1937-03-05 | 1942-06-16 | George A Brace | Method and apparatus for processing potatoes |
US3294545A (en) * | 1962-03-22 | 1966-12-27 | Facs Mfg Company Inc | Corn chip apparatus, method, and product |
US3519432A (en) | 1966-12-20 | 1970-07-07 | Procter & Gamble | Potato chip product and process |
US3594187A (en) | 1968-03-27 | 1971-07-20 | Procter & Gamble | Potato products having improved flavor |
US3608474A (en) | 1969-07-14 | 1971-09-28 | Procter & Gamble | Apparatus for preparing chip-type products |
US3626466A (en) | 1969-07-14 | 1971-12-07 | Procter & Gamble | Molding device for preparing chip-type products |
US3576647A (en) * | 1969-10-07 | 1971-04-27 | Procter & Gamble | Preparation of chip-type products |
US3609939A (en) | 1970-06-02 | 1971-10-05 | Procter & Gamble | Apparatus for the metering and loading of articles of substantially uniform size and shape |
US3998975A (en) | 1970-08-07 | 1976-12-21 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Potato chip products and process for making same |
US3752676A (en) | 1971-11-15 | 1973-08-14 | Procter & Gamble | Photosense detecting and removing stuck chips from a carrier of a chip frying machine |
US3864505A (en) | 1972-09-29 | 1975-02-04 | Procter & Gamble | Method of Shaping Fried Farinaceous Dough Products After Removal From The Frying Medium |
US4032664A (en) | 1973-04-27 | 1977-06-28 | General Mills, Inc. | Fried formed chip |
US3872752A (en) * | 1973-04-27 | 1975-03-25 | Gen Mills Inc | Snack cutter |
US3935322A (en) | 1973-04-27 | 1976-01-27 | General Mills, Inc. | Chip separating from a fried ribbon |
US3857982A (en) | 1973-11-30 | 1974-12-31 | Procter & Gamble | Processing for producing potato chip flavor concentrate |
US4082176A (en) | 1976-01-19 | 1978-04-04 | General Mills, Inc. | Apparatus for handling snack chips |
US4167585A (en) * | 1976-03-01 | 1979-09-11 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Method for heating and cooking foods in a closed treatment chamber by maintaining the temperature and moisture content |
US4054015A (en) * | 1976-05-17 | 1977-10-18 | Imasco, Ltd. | Chip packing apparatus and method |
US4366749A (en) * | 1976-06-21 | 1983-01-04 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Apparatus for processing food products |
US4126706A (en) | 1976-08-30 | 1978-11-21 | Frito-Lay, Inc. | Process for forming dough ribbon |
US4282258A (en) | 1978-04-03 | 1981-08-04 | Forkner John H | Method and apparatus for the manufacture of formed edible products and products resulting therefrom |
US4269861A (en) * | 1979-02-21 | 1981-05-26 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Process for preparing french fried potatoes and apparatus |
US4392420A (en) * | 1981-01-05 | 1983-07-12 | Heat & Control, Inc. | Recirculating hot oil cooking apparatus |
US5652010A (en) * | 1984-12-14 | 1997-07-29 | Nabisco, Inc. | Production of masa corn-based products |
US4738193A (en) * | 1985-02-04 | 1988-04-19 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Food processing method and apparatus |
US5137740A (en) * | 1985-02-04 | 1992-08-11 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Continuous food processing method |
US5167979A (en) * | 1985-02-04 | 1992-12-01 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Process for continuously frying food products |
US4942808A (en) * | 1985-02-04 | 1990-07-24 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Food processing apparatus |
US5075120A (en) * | 1987-10-13 | 1991-12-24 | Leary Steven G | Method of cooking a food product in a process vapor at progressively varying rates |
JPH01284283A (en) * | 1988-05-11 | 1989-11-15 | Gakken Co Ltd | Pie automatic aligning device for game machine |
US5112633A (en) * | 1989-01-13 | 1992-05-12 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Automatic stirring of batch fried food products |
US4977821A (en) * | 1989-01-13 | 1990-12-18 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Automatic stirring of batch fried food products |
US4973481A (en) * | 1989-03-17 | 1990-11-27 | Miles J. Willard | Process for producing rippled snack chips and product thereof |
JPH02286644A (en) * | 1989-04-28 | 1990-11-26 | Showa Shell Sekiyu Kk | Liquid crystal compound |
US4978548A (en) * | 1989-09-21 | 1990-12-18 | Valley Grain Products, Inc. | Method and apparatus for continuous producing of tortilla chips |
CA2023885C (en) | 1989-09-22 | 1996-02-27 | Richard Worthington Lodge | Low fat fried snack |
US5188859A (en) * | 1990-10-25 | 1993-02-23 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Low fat snack |
US5503673A (en) | 1990-11-05 | 1996-04-02 | Mcneil-Ppc, Inc | Apparatus for dip coating product |
US5193442A (en) * | 1991-01-16 | 1993-03-16 | Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. | Use of fluid to agitate articles |
US5322007A (en) * | 1991-08-15 | 1994-06-21 | Heat And Control, Inc. | Compact, high-capacity oven |
US5697748A (en) | 1993-07-15 | 1997-12-16 | Applied Materials, Inc. | Wafer tray and ceramic blade for semiconductor processing apparatus |
GB9315742D0 (en) | 1993-07-29 | 1993-09-15 | Williamson Mark | Handling sheet material |
US5531156A (en) | 1993-11-23 | 1996-07-02 | Taco Bell Corp. | Automatic taco machine |
US5505978A (en) * | 1994-05-16 | 1996-04-09 | Apv Baker, Inc. | Baked corn-based product and process |
GB9411694D0 (en) | 1994-06-10 | 1994-08-03 | United Biscuits Ltd | Improvements in and relating to the production of food products |
US5662949A (en) | 1995-01-23 | 1997-09-02 | Roberto Gonzales Barrera | Tortilla manufacturing apparatus |
US5565220A (en) | 1995-01-23 | 1996-10-15 | Roberto Gonzales Barrera | Tortilla manufacturing apparatus |
US5846589A (en) * | 1996-04-29 | 1998-12-08 | Recot, Inc. | Process of making a reduced oil snack chip |
ATE471082T1 (en) * | 1997-11-12 | 2010-07-15 | Chippery Inc A Delaware Compan | CUTTING DEVICE FOR PREPARING POTATOES |
-
2001
- 2001-02-07 JP JP2001556099A patent/JP4368084B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-02-07 AU AU2001236707A patent/AU2001236707B2/en not_active Ceased
- 2001-02-07 CN CNB018046479A patent/CN1166307C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-02-07 AU AU3670701A patent/AU3670701A/en active Pending
- 2001-02-07 BR BR0108156-0A patent/BR0108156A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-02-07 KR KR1020027010177A patent/KR100733902B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-02-07 MX MXPA02007572A patent/MXPA02007572A/en active IP Right Grant
- 2001-02-07 WO PCT/US2001/003846 patent/WO2001056392A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2001-02-07 CA CA002399455A patent/CA2399455C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-02-13 TW TW090102634A patent/TW504369B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2001-12-03 US US09/998,661 patent/US20020034573A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-12-03 US US09/998,663 patent/US6412397B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3498798A (en) * | 1966-07-29 | 1970-03-03 | Procter & Gamble | Packaging of chip-type snack food products |
US3520248A (en) * | 1968-09-30 | 1970-07-14 | Procter & Gamble | Chip frying machine |
US3852485A (en) * | 1971-07-06 | 1974-12-03 | Gen Mills Inc | Package for uniformly shaped chip type snack food products |
US3930049A (en) * | 1972-12-08 | 1975-12-30 | S & W Fine Foods Inc | Process for preparing a shelf-stable, flexible tortilla |
US3905285A (en) * | 1973-04-27 | 1975-09-16 | Gen Mills Inc | Snack fryer |
US3911805A (en) * | 1974-12-24 | 1975-10-14 | Procter & Gamble | Apparatus for cutting, shaping and transferring flexible preforms |
US4122198A (en) * | 1976-03-16 | 1978-10-24 | Frito-Lay, Inc. | Process for preparing a cooked dough product |
US4052838A (en) * | 1976-05-04 | 1977-10-11 | Frito-Lay, Inc. | Apparatus for packaging nested, uniformly shaped articles |
US4650687A (en) * | 1985-02-12 | 1987-03-17 | Miles J. Willard | Float-frying and dockering methods for controlling the shape and preventing distortion of single and multi-layer snack products |
US4844919A (en) * | 1987-07-13 | 1989-07-04 | Nabisco Brands, Inc. | Concave shaped snack food and process for preparing same |
US4985269A (en) * | 1990-06-12 | 1991-01-15 | Borden, Inc. | Continuous extrusion for tortilla chip production |
US5298274A (en) * | 1992-04-10 | 1994-03-29 | Khalsa Nirbhao S | Methods for making tortilla chips and tortilla chips produced thereby |
US5529799A (en) * | 1992-06-24 | 1996-06-25 | General Mills, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for recouping scrap dough material |
US6004612A (en) * | 1997-12-19 | 1999-12-21 | Nabisco Technology Company | Production of shredded snacks with chip-like appearance and texture |
Cited By (24)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070166422A1 (en) * | 2004-05-12 | 2007-07-19 | Trevor Fortes | Device for rounding of dough pieces |
US7527492B2 (en) * | 2004-05-12 | 2009-05-05 | Trevor Fortes | Device for rounding of dough pieces |
US20130036919A1 (en) * | 2005-01-24 | 2013-02-14 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Method for controlling bulk density of fried snack pieces |
CN101160056B (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2012-10-10 | 福瑞托-雷北美有限公司 | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
CN102934647A (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2013-02-20 | 福瑞托-雷北美有限公司 | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
WO2006086047A2 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2006-08-17 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
US7700143B2 (en) | 2005-02-07 | 2010-04-20 | Frito-Lay North America, Inc. | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
KR100959964B1 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2010-05-27 | 프리토-래이 노쓰 아메리카, 인코포레이티드 | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
US20100166932A1 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2010-07-01 | Darin James Baylor | Method for Making a Stable Stacked Snack Food Configuration |
WO2006086047A3 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2007-11-01 | Frito Lay North America Inc | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
US20060177552A1 (en) * | 2005-02-07 | 2006-08-10 | Baylor Darin J | Method for making a stable stacked snack food configuration |
US8769857B2 (en) | 2005-02-11 | 2014-07-08 | Mars Incorporated | Apparatus for vacuum forming contoured edible pieces |
US8012522B2 (en) * | 2005-02-11 | 2011-09-06 | Mars, Incorporated | Method and apparatus for vacuum forming contoured edible pieces |
US20060182856A1 (en) * | 2005-02-11 | 2006-08-17 | Mars, Incorporated | Method and apparatus for vacuum forming contoured edible pieces |
US20110135794A1 (en) * | 2009-12-08 | 2011-06-09 | Norbert Gimmler | Process for producing precisely shaped grain based products |
WO2011072000A2 (en) | 2009-12-08 | 2011-06-16 | Kellogg Company | Process for producing precisely shaped grain based products |
US20130108766A1 (en) * | 2011-10-31 | 2013-05-02 | Nancy Ann Taylor | Grit chips |
WO2015165958A3 (en) * | 2014-04-29 | 2015-12-23 | Frito-Lay Trading Company Gmbh | Snack food chips |
CN104542764A (en) * | 2014-12-09 | 2015-04-29 | 宿州国恩食品机械有限公司 | Multi-channel fried bread stick maker |
US20180368435A1 (en) * | 2015-11-11 | 2018-12-27 | Kmb Produktions Ag | Device for producing consumable products |
US10214367B2 (en) | 2016-06-03 | 2019-02-26 | Gruma S.A.B. De C.V. | Rotating stacker |
GB2552820A (en) * | 2016-08-11 | 2018-02-14 | Frito Lay Trading Co Gmbh | Handling snack food chips |
US10850875B2 (en) | 2016-08-11 | 2020-12-01 | Frito-Lay Trading Company Gmbh | Handling snack food chips |
US20230189856A1 (en) * | 2019-05-23 | 2023-06-22 | Veritas Food Company LLC | Systems and methods for cutting and cooking a substance |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2003521254A (en) | 2003-07-15 |
CN1166307C (en) | 2004-09-15 |
US20020044996A1 (en) | 2002-04-18 |
WO2001056392A9 (en) | 2002-10-31 |
BR0108156A (en) | 2003-01-21 |
KR20020076291A (en) | 2002-10-09 |
CN1398160A (en) | 2003-02-19 |
JP4368084B2 (en) | 2009-11-18 |
AU3670701A (en) | 2001-08-14 |
WO2001056392A1 (en) | 2001-08-09 |
US6412397B1 (en) | 2002-07-02 |
TW504369B (en) | 2002-10-01 |
CA2399455A1 (en) | 2001-08-09 |
CA2399455C (en) | 2009-06-02 |
MXPA02007572A (en) | 2002-12-13 |
KR100733902B1 (en) | 2007-07-02 |
AU2001236707B2 (en) | 2005-07-28 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6412397B1 (en) | Apparatus and method for making stackable tortilla chips | |
AU2001236707A1 (en) | Apparatus and method for making stackable snack food chips | |
US5392698A (en) | Conveyor belt for carrying uncooked product slices through a cooking operation | |
US5802959A (en) | Baked, non-oil containing snack product food | |
US20150272177A1 (en) | Method Of Producing Stackable Low-Fat Snack Chips | |
CA2521455C (en) | Forming and cooking with controlled curtain spillage | |
US6403135B1 (en) | Method for form-frying snack food product | |
FR2477377A1 (en) | FOOD PASTE, PROCESS AND MEANS FOR ITS PREPARATION AND COOKING | |
CA2457871C (en) | System and method for molding a snack chip | |
US20130122170A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for making a shaped fat free snack product | |
GB2532094A (en) | Belt assembly for manufacturing snack food chips | |
TH34489B (en) | Method and equipment for creating stackable snack chips | |
TH79044A (en) | Method and equipment for creating stackable snack chips |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: FRITO-LAY NORTH AMERICA, INC., TEXAS Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:RECOT, INC.;REEL/FRAME:015942/0738 Effective date: 20040120 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION |